Cracks
by thevelvetbunny
Summary: SasuSaku. Sasuke struggles with life after returning to Konoha, and enters counselling with a certain no-nonsense Hokage.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"If my devils are to leave me, I'm afraid my angels will take flight as well,"- Rainer Maria Rilke.

* * *

**Cracks**

**Chapter One**

* * *

Sasuke sat in the office, hands gripping his knees. He was anxious, though he liked to believe the two ANBU guards assigned to him were none the wiser. His eyes roamed the room, taking in the tiny details, the minute sounds. A mouse was scuffling beneath a crack in the floorboards, forming its bed out of pieces of the threadbare carpets, as tiny drops of rain trickled down the windowpanes. He looked out the window at the overcast sky, its pewter tinge threatening a humid lightning storm.

Sasuke remembered the Fire Country only had thunder and lightning in the summer. He recalled the first time he heard the boom of thunder when he was more a baby than a child, shaking at the way it sounded like the heavens being ripped apart. He'd been so scared, and his brother so kind.

He felt himself go red with embarrassment, as if the ANBU could see through his facade and into his soul, into his never ending grief. Everything seemed to remind him of Itachi, and for eight years that man had meant everything to him, be he an angel or devil in Sasuke's mind. A part of him still heaved with resentment towards Konoha, although he understood that the people who orchestrated his family's death were either dead or placed under investigation by the Hokage herself. It was likely they'd get off without punishment, as it had been in the best interests for Konoha, and the thought made him seethe.

Sasuke was drawn out of his reverie when the door clicked open. Whoever he was to speak to him entered the room. He understood the Hokage's logic in ordering counselling, and he had yet to be given any medication, although he knew it was all part of the deal; if he complied he may be able to have a semi-normal life, but if he didn't he'd be on his own, and hunted like a rabid fox on the loose for the rest of his days. He didn't really want that, but truth be told, he had no idea what he wanted. His life had stagnated, his mind as bleak as his motivation.

"You two can leave us," The voice, an authoritative female, commanded, and Sasuke turned his head in puzzlement as he realised who it was. "Someone get me a black coffee before you go,"

Tsunade stared down at him as she moved around the desk and sat before Sasuke. Her eyes were fixed with foreboding as she saw the boy before her make a face she'd much rather slap than counsel.

"Uchiha Sasuke," She had with her a folder, adorned with his name. She opened it up to reveal copious documents which appeared to be from other nations' leaders, and Kage. She highlighted one in particular. It looked like an execution warrant. "This is from the Raikage, who still wants your head served on a platter,"

If Sasuke was meant to be moved by this, he showed little to no indication. He was aware of his predicament, but would be damned if he showed her any sign of fear. He stared back at her with defiance.

"But, I have made a proposition. I am to be taking your case, and that means handling the psychiatric assessment that we agreed to in your tribunal," She placed it back in the folder. "They have agreed to be lenient, considering your involvement in taking down Uchiha Madara and Yakushi Kabuto. We have also considered your age, and the nature of your childhood. Part of the settlement is that I conduct and control your psychiatric therapy,"

She stared him down, ran her eyes all over him, evaluating. He felt cold, but forced his body not to shiver. Like hell he'd talk to this harpy, and like hell she even wanted to know.

"You should know, however, that this is also because I care for Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, the two people who care about you most and seem to have faith in you," Tsunade continued, until a knock at the door came and her coffee was brought in by one of the ANBU. He hurried away, his mask betraying nothing despite Sasuke sensing a certain air of mocking from the other nin. He turned his attention back to Tsunade, only to see her glaring at him more pointedly than ever.

"I am not know for my patience, but in the interest of people I care about and by the gracious understanding of foreign dignitaries I'll make this concession once," She said, enunciating the latter part of the sentence with all the implied inconvenience she could muster. "You'll be coming to visit me three times a week, but for now we'll need to talk about how you're feeling at this moment and what medication you'll need,"

"I don't need medication," Sasuke said tersely, and scowled.

"I'm the medical professional here, Sasuke. You'll take what I give you, as was our arrangement," Tsunade replied, and took out her pen and paper. "I don't expect you to be open with me at first, and believe me I know how long it'll take for you to address you problems,"

_What the fuck do you know? _He wanted to say it, and he knew the expression on his face told all as Tsunade tensed with aggravation. The rain's pitter-patter gradually became heavier, until it was near torrential and despite the extra noise Tsunade's voice sliced through the cacophony.

"I'm attempting to be sympathetic, Sasuke. Just you being here is a great cause for concern given your neurotic behaviour, and I know you feel threatened by having your chakra sealed, but you should understand that deciding to come back, despite your grievances, was the hardest step. You should feel proud that you've finally made the correct choice,"

Sasuke's face was like a mask, perfectly still, his mouth a grim line. Only his eyes belied the mind that churned beneath his disguise. Orochimaru had once said his eyes never stopped looking, like they saw every detail despite personal smokescreens and concealment. His eyes made everything gossamer. And at that moment, his eyes gleamed with the fire of irritated passion.

"Why would a Senjuu give a shit about an Uchiha, you old hag?" He spat, with all the contempt he could muster.

Tsunade took the insult with little care. She threaded her hands together and crouched across the desk on her elbows.

"Personally, Sasuke, you can throw away your life for all I care. But there are people who would _die _for you, who'd throw their own lives away for you, and by hell am I going to let you put any of them in that situation ever again," She said, with as much venom as possible. "Unfortunately, they care too much and are too stupid to call it a day sometimes, but no matter how ill-placed their faith seems, I trust their judgement and if they think you can be rehabilitated then I will see to it that you become a functioning citizen once again,"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in insolence. Tsunade simply shook her head lightly and sipped her coffee.

"Now, I have some questions, and I would like them answered as honestly as possible, please," She began. "How are you sleeping?"

Sasuke remained silent, his lips pursed.

"Well, I can tell from the bags under your eyes and your pallor that you haven't slept properly for weeks. I can also tell that you're skin and bones, so I don't need to ask how your appetite is. How are your moods?"

"Why are you bothering?"

"I don't like to repeat myself, Uchiha. How are your moods?"

Sasuke once again kept silent and simply looked at her perplexed.

"I know you're not idiot, Sasuke, the sooner you comply the faster this process will be,"

"My mood is shit," He said tritely.

"Excellent. How often do you see or speak to your friends?"

_Friends? _Sasuke recoiled inwardly. The word sounded so foreign to him.

"Either Naruto or Sakura are around me as much as possible. If they're not there Kakashi comes round, or Sai-" Sasuke's eyes twitched at the mentioning of that bastard's name. "-is there,"

"So you're rarely alone?"

"Well, I'm _never _alone," He snapped, like she was an idiot.

"_They _don't count, but your friends do. Any physical afflictions we should be aware of?"

Sasuke shook his head. Unbeknownst to him, Tsunade had already evaluated his family's medical history, as firstly, she didn't want to bring that up too soon, and secondly, because Sasuke probably wouldn't know much anyway.

"Any problems with drugs or alcohol?" Tsunade looked up from here paper, knowing Sakura had already talked to her about Sasuke's drinking habit.

"No," Sasuke lied.

"That's not what I've heard. That's the worst form of self-medication and your first project for me will be to curb that impulse,"

_Hypocrite, _Sasuke sneered. He'd heard all about the three sannins' consumption of alcohol from Orochimaru himself. They all drank like fish.

"I know you were in the... _care _of Orochimaru for three years, were you ever abused sexually by him or anyone else whilst you were there?"

"He never touched me," Sasuke snapped indignantly. The creepy bastard had given him some rather disconcerting looks though, but he seemed to enjoy teaching him jutsu and watching his fights more.

"He had a somewhat disturbing history, as you might imagine," Tsunade said, quite relieved herself that she wouldn't have to investigate further. "Those are the main things I wanted to get out of the way, as obviously I know the majority of your history from your younger days are in this file. I have reports on how you appeared towards your teammates when they met after you assassinated Danzou. From what I can tell, you're suffering from paranoid delusions, thinking everyone was an enemy and out to harm you or steal your doujutsu. You're most probably still suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from the night your family was killed. In all likelihood, you're also suffering from grief and shock. The last year has been turbulent for all of us, especially you. In order for you to be more settled I'm going to prescribe you some anti-psychotics, which will also help your appetite and sleep. I'm also going to have Kakashi start training with you, but without chakra. If we get these things sorted, your paranoia should decrease and your moods will be less neurotic,"

Tsunade scribbled furiously, her pen generating reams of inky sentences Sasuke sneakily tried to peek at, much to no avail.

"Thanks to Orochimaru, your dose needs to be stronger than most, given the fact he's practically immunised you to everything under the Sun..." She stopped and handed him the prescription. "Give that to one of the ANBU and they'll sort that out for you,"

Sasuke took the prescription and stared at it. He had already made up his mind he wasn't going to take them.

"And I've asked Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura to supervise you when you take your medication," She said, fixing him a knowing look. "Now this was an introduction of what I'm offering you. Remember that everything you say is confidential, unless I believe you will harm yourself or someone else. If I am concerned, I will intervene. The next time we meet, I will begin to ask you about things I know you won't be able to talk about. You will feel uncomfortable, but after a while talking about things will make them easier to face. You'll be able to make sense of them, and stand up to them, and you'll become a better person for having the courage to change your life. You're still young, and never forget that,"

Indeed, Tsunade knew Sasuke's age was one of the few things he still had to cling onto. So was the fact he was the last of a very valuable bloodline. But he was smart too, pretty much a genius. He knew how to manipulate situations, had lost control too many times to count, so much so that his life could have been forfeited as his only step to redemption. Most young people seemed to forget they were nothing more than civilised killers, born and bred to a world of flimsy morals and bloody endings. Sasuke saw clearly, whilst other still looked through rose-tinted glass.

"See you Thursday, Uchiha," Tsunade said, and walked out the room holding her coffee cup. Sasuke looked nothing more than a rebellious child who wanted to do things _his _way, just as he'd always done. But perhaps the greatest lesson was for Sasuke to realise his being was only a knife's edge away from falling into the deep precipice of insanity and loneliness. He was losing himself, and the only memories he'd ever hung onto were lost in the history of this Village.

* * *

Sasuke made his way back to the apartment through the icy bullets of rain, letting the wet soak through his clothes. He was chill to the bone when he arrived, and was quick to pull his clothes off ready for a shower.

The apartment was spacious, one of the newly designed properties from the hands of the Mokuton-user himself, Tenzou (or "Yamato", as it were). It was large enough for both him and Naruto to live in, although Sasuke would have preferred to be alone. They had a balcony, and that was where his ANBU retinue had situated themselves, both facing the rain, one smoking a cigarette and the other reading the paper when he last checked.

The shower was soft and soothing, and Sasuke revelled in this rare moment of privacy. He felt more alone with the ANBU guard than on his own. They were an unsettling presence, and on numerous occasions had displayed the intent to kill him, if he were to step out of line. One instance involved Sai, who had incensed Sasuke to point of strangling him. Sai, confused but smart enough to make a run for it leapt out the kitchen window. When Sasuke had followed him, with all the malice and hatred he could muster, he was stopped rather abruptly half-way through the same window with the sleek blade of a katana cool against the skin of his neck. After a full inquiry, it was decided that Sasuke and Sai should never be alone in the confines of one room ever again.

As the water washed over his skin, Sasuke couldn't even recollect what had made him so angry. Sai had a habit of getting under his skin; the buffoon had the tact of a dog that wasn't house-trained. Sasuke couldn't stand him one little bit, especially that forced, fake smile. Naruto and Sakura reassured him with all the sincerity in the world that the idiot would grow on him, that they would be friends, but Sasuke couldn't see it.

He heard the door open beyond the shower. That would be Naruto, coming back for lunch before he went out again. Apparently he had taken Hinata out for a walk; the gushing of a loved up Naruto was certain to follow, and a far too detailed description of what Hinata's breasts felt like and how silky soft Hinata's hair was and how great her arse looked... The bastard wouldn't shut up about her.

Sasuke lathered shampoo in his hair and swiftly washed it out again. He dried himself and rubbed the towel roughly through his hair, before patting it down so it would dry tidier than usual. He then slipped on a fresh pair of black trousers and a t-shirt, before stepping outside to be greeted by sickeningly jovial Naruto. He was soaked, the rain water darkening his orange attire, but his shit-eating grin made Sasuke want to groan.

"Morning Sasuke!" The blond grinned, ear-to-ear. "Guess what?"

Sasuke stared with narrowed eyes and a scowl.

"Hinata's coming over tonight, you know what _that _means!"

"No," Sasuke said and shook his head. "You're not fucking in the next room to me, no way in _hell_,"

Naruto looked aghast with shock. "Hinata's a lady. She does not "fuck", she makes makes love,"

"No,"

"Since when did you become so crass, you were always up yourself but at least you had some manners?"

"Possibly because I no longer have the energy to give a shit," Sasuke snapped, before situating himself on the sofa, in front of the TV. He switched it on, and began watching whatever flashed across the screen. It appeared to be some sort of day-time soap almost so inane it should banned from public consumption, but anything was good enough to keep Sasuke's mind off Naruto possibly having sex in the room next door.

"I'm making some ramen, you want any?" He called from the kitchen, the kettle boiling in the background. He never bothered to ask the ANBU, they always brought their own supplies, having learnt that Sasuke wasn't even the slightest bit hospitable.

"Do I _ever_ want ramen?" Sasuke sighed, watching the attractive female lead cry into the arms of her terminal boyfriend.

"I saw Tsunade-obaachan just now, she told me you've got to eat and I "must use every means necessary" to force you to eat," Naruto said, and Sasuke could hear him pour the water into his frightful cup-ramen. He walked up to the sofa, cup in hand, already shovelling the noodles in his mouth. He slurped them up loudly. "How did today go?"

Sasuke didn't particularly feel like talking about it. "It went shit,"

"Who's the person you gotta talk to? Anyone we know?"

"It's the Hokage,"

"Really?" Naruto exclaimed, with genuine shock. "I can't really see her as the therapeutic-type..."

"She's not," Maybe that's what Sasuke needed? He needed to make sense of things, not someone with wells of saccharine tears and over-flowing with empathy. Tsunade was a hard woman, but also intelligent and down-to-Earth with years of experience. She had her own problems, and she knew the madness of grief.

"Who'd have thought?" Naruto mused, and then stuffed more noodle-broth into his mouth. Afterwards, he preceded to hand some chopsticks across to Sasuke and then dangled the cup in front of him. "Here,"

Sasuke turned his face sideways and gave Naruto an obstinate glare. "What?"

"You've gotta eat something, have the rest of these," He beamed with all the good intention only someone as daft as he could manage. Sasuke seethed as if Naruto had just spat in the cup.

"I'm not touching them,"

"You got to, Baachan's orders,"

"I am not _touching _them you-" Before Sasuke could finish Naruto descended upon him, using the bulk of his weight and the Uchiha's lack of chakra to his advantage. He wrestled with him until Sasuke was practically frothing at the mouth with anger.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke struggled, but Naruto never relented. The blond didn't seem too happy about doing this either, knowing Sasuke was disadvantaged without his chakra, but his weight-loss was something that needed to be remedied. Besides, he should have realised what a big deal it was to _share _his precious ramen. He took the fresh chopsticks and gathered up a large clump of noodles, then dangled them in front of Sasuke's face.

"If you don't eat them, I'll fart on you... _again_," The threat was very real, and Sasuke had to shower three times before he felt clean again, last time that happened.

"Fine," He snapped. "Just get the fuck off me you fat bastard,"

"I am not fat," Naruto stated, and moved off the boy below him. He handed him the cup ramen and the chopsticks. Sasuke stared at it like it was rotten, the artificial smell making him queasy. He ate it as quickly as humanly possible, swallowed and then ran to the bathroom.

Naruto smiled as he heard the tap running, and teeth being brushed. At least Sasuke's gutter mouth was better than him not talking at all.

* * *

The purplish orange of dusk washed over the village that evening, not a cloud left in the sky after the morning's stormy outburst. The damp air was filled with the summer scents of jasmine, honeysuckle and roses. Naruto was gone, and Sasuke was now alone (except for the ANBU, of course, one of which was now snoring and the other still reading the paper). The boy came and went, always as boisterous and loud as a torrential summer storm. He was sometimes too much for Sasuke, but at least he gave him someone to talk to and relieve the day's monotony. Sasuke was only allowed out of the apartment for times requested a week in advance, so most days of the week he was bound to these four walls.

Kakashi occasionally came round, and lately he allowed Sasuke access to some of his most treasured possessions; his Icha Icha series. It was this Sasuke was reading, his face never changing as he swept along the highly pornographic drama Jiraiya had concocted. There was little literary merit, but he had to admit the old pervert could write a compelling story. He was half-way through his second reading, having given up on television.

Truth be told, he wanted the hours to melt into minutes, because Sakura was coming over later to make dinner. In these past few months, Sasuke's body had surprised him by feeling a twinge of excitement when thinking of Haruno Sakura. He'd felt such things before, but never acted upon them, and it was something he definitely wasn't so sure about. These feelings had begun when he was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. Sakura was making scrambled eggs, her back to him. She reached out to grab a pan from a high shelf, making her marvellously toned backside stick out in such a way it had captivated the Uchiha. He didn't mean to stare, but his eyes couldn't help themselves as they roamed along the sun-kissed skin of her toned legs, and the way her top creased along the seam of her breasts. Maybe it was the fact Sasuke was too alone with his thoughts and she was the only girl he saw regularly, but he couldn't get her out of his head for the entire day, let alone at night when he couldn't help himself as he ached for her.

He knew not what to do when he was alone with Sakura; he wasn't sure how to conduct himself. Sasuke found the easiest thing to do was be as aloof as possible, so maybe she wouldn't detect his silent feelings and anxieties. Even though he waited and secretly craved to be alone with her, just to watch her, he couldn't seem to breach all the walls he'd made between them. He'd tried to kill her, and the shame was unimaginable. He was bemused by how any of them could ever forgive him, especially Sakura, not after what he was prepared to do to her in his frenzied state.

He had been a monster, and the thoughts running through his head would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Without thinking about it, he went to the kitchen and poured himself some sake. He drank it cold from the cup, feeling the burn warm his throat. It comforted him, made his heart calm as soon as it flowed through his system. His immediate compulsion was to clean the kitchen and soon set to work where Naruto had sloppily managed to get bits of ramen _everywhere. _He sprayed the disinfectant all over the work surfaces, even the clean ones and began to scrub. Truth be told, Naruto never did housework. He didn't seem to care, and he'd probably do crap job of it anyway, so the cleaning was mainly down to Sasuke. He didn't stop until the sink practically glistened with cleanliness, and after he was done with the kitchen he did the bathroom, and then unleashed the Hoover on the carpet in the lounge.

Sasuke had no idea, but the ANBU turned to look as he began to use the nozzle on the sofa. They then turned to each other and shook their heads.

* * *

Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha, the scent of fresh, damp earth and dinner cooking filled the air with myriad of smells and aromas. It made her hungry, and she was quick in her step towards Naruto and Sasuke's apartment, a small, contented smile gracing her lips. Since Sasuke returned and peace came to the Five Nations, the days seemed a little brighter and the hospital less of a chore. She was more interested with what people had to say, and it seemed like a giant weight was lifted from her shoulders. There was a spring her step, just like Naruto's and if her suspicions were correct, Kakashi's too.

The arrangements were still flimsy, and Sasuke had made some pretty infamous enemies for himself over the years, many of whom resided in their fair Village, but he was back. He was with them again, and he was trying, he really was. He was agreeing to all the higher-echelons' terms, albeit with a candour that was perceived as morose misery, and perhaps a couple of habits he needed to stifle, but he was making some progress.

Sakura silently wished she could sit-in on the counselling sessions with Tsunade just to see his mask crack, to see him grieve and reconcile with the past. She was not foolish enough to think he would be perfectly healed, that the painful memories would ever recede, but he could have a life again, and this time no one would ever let him fall so deeply into despair ever again.

Tsunade had been correct in calling her a naive, because maybe she was. But Sasuke needed their optimism, to know that things could only get better. She was foolish, she knew that, but there was a smile on her face and a radiance in her complexion so blatant her mother thought she was like a different girl, or rather the twelve-year-old girl she used to see giggle and blush at the dinner table whenever she mentioned his name.

Suddenly, those terrible moments didn't seem so bad; the song of Sasuke's chidori didn't seem so malicious, so hurtful. And she was sure Naruto and Kakashi felt exactly the same way. The road was still long, and there would be many set-backs, but they'd be a team again, a team like an extended-family which encompassed Yamato and Sai too.

They were all together again, and for nearly four years that's all Sakura had ever wished for.

* * *

End of Chapter One.

Tune in next time for some more Tsunade wisdom.

This is happy story, with some blips and angst along the way, and of course the sex. Can't write a good love story without the smexing.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank all to those who reviewed, I hope I remembered to reply to all of you!

* * *

**Cracks**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Sakura slipped the key in the lock, pushing the door open with her weight. The groceries she bought were heavy and she'd be glad to put them away before her arm went numb. It was hard to believe that even after all these years of training, a bag of shopping could still be so cumbersome. But even her fatigue wasn't enough to suppress the new breath of wind was blowing through her, and kept Sakura's mouth firmly curved or laughing with a wide grin. Even a whole, rigorous day at the hospital couldn't darken her mood.

Sasuke was by nowhere near perfect, but he was here, he was safe, and well their relationship had never perfect but that's what made Team Seven special; they were a little collection of eccentrics who belonged together, and would always stay together. Life was so fragile in their world, and even if there was peace between the shinobi nations, how much would it take for those ties to break? The world was built on flimsy promises, and it was a well-known fact that keeping Sasuke alive had been a somewhat contentious issue. Tsunade had told her all about Kumo's wolves scrabbling at the Village gates, wanting the last Uchiha's blood. He would never be safe from them, but maybe if he can show the will for change with the same vigour as Naruto, then perhaps they'll let it slide. He was getting the best of care, and Sakura was thankful that her Master cared so much that she'd stick her neck out.

Sakura had with her Sasuke's medication. She'd almost started when she saw the dosage.

* * *

"_That's enough to knock-out a bull," Tsunade said, in between munching a plate of fried vegetables. "But don't worry; we have to give him that much because of that bastard,"_

_In Tsunade's office, "that bastard" was usually referring to Orochimaru and the mess he left behind. _

"_Do you know there are people out there who've pledged their allegiance to Sasuke?" Tsunade had told her. "They're insane; they swap one bastard for another simply because he freed them. There've been activists and all sorts of travesties that __**I**__ have to do the paperwork for,"_

"_Why haven't I heard anything about that?" Sakura asked, bemused._

"_Of course you haven't, they're sent on their merry way the moment they step towards the gates,"_

_Sakura had thought Sasuke had never mentioned this before. "Sasuke doesn't know,"_

"_The girl that was with him suspected as much," Tsunade said. "She's useful, but very bitter about what happened, as you could imagine,"_

"_Karin wasn't the only person Sasuke hurt that day,"_

"_More trouble than he's worth, that child," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "But he's talented, and clever. He and Naruto are in their own league. I'm surprised he agreed to have his chakra sealed,"_

"_Sasuke's always had an... odd disposition," Sakura said, though the thoughts of what happened that day often came flooding back, like a knife in her gut. "But as you say, he's not stupid. He's angry, but Naruto got to him somehow, how he did that we'll never know Tsunade-shishou,"_

"_I've got to say, if I learn what made Sasuke come back then maybe all this will be worth something," Tsunade mused, her honeyed-eyes glittering with the thought of solving that particular mystery. "As a patient, he's fascinating, although young so not that hard to figure out,"_

"_I'm not sure he truly knows himself anymore," Sakura said, patting her hair down in front of a full length mirror on the wall of the Hokage's office. "He lacks purpose,"_

"_Which is why we need him sleeping, and then training with Kakashi," Tsunade said quickly. "And he needs to be around other people, so gradually start integrating him back into your friendship groups,"_

_Sakura's face seemed to darken slightly. "I don't think many of them really have time for him anymore,"_

_Tsunade looked most agitated. She fixed Sakura with a determined stare._

"_They'll have time for him if fucking tell them to,"_

* * *

And so, apart from a quick shopping trip, Sakura came straight to Naruto and Sasuke's apartment. She knew she'd be alone with Sasuke, as Naruto had gushed to her at length the other day that he'd be taking Hinata out to dinner. Sai was on a mission, and Kakashi was busy doing whatever he wasn't lazy enough to do.

"Hello!" She called, just to give Sasuke forewarning. There was no reply as she stepped through the threshold. She walked into the living room, and the television was on but Sasuke was nowhere to be found. The place was spotless, and the vacuum cleaner was still left out. Sakura wandered into the kitchen, only to find copious amounts of liquor bottles laying about the place.

_Not again. _Sakura groaned inwardly. This problem had recurring for the past couple of weeks. Sasuke had picked up quite the habit, and no one could get to the root of it. He was never alone, but the ANBU outside were useless. Unless he was smashing the door down or threatening someone they barely moved a muscle. Setting the groceries down, Sakura sighed.

She slid open the door to the balcony.

"How long's he been out?"

"He started doing the housework about six hours ago," The one masked ANBU said, never looking up from his newspaper. "I saw him drinking then. He watched the television for a bit, and then he went to his room,"

"You should have told someone," Sakura admonished, although she knew they cared as little as possible.

"We're here to make sure he stays in the apartment, not to play nursemaid. If he wants to get pissed during the day, as long as it's inside the apartment we don't care,"

"Thanks a lot guys,"

"Did you buy any of those biscuits?" The other ANBU, who'd been dozing stretched and turned towards Sakura. "And any of that vanilla coffee?"

Sakura sighed and nodded. She wandered back into the flat and filled the kettle. She'd prepare food before waking him. Sasuke was always ravenous after he drank. Keeping him hauled up in this place was making his destructive tendencies intensify; it would take months for him to come to any normalcy at this rate. The easiest thing to do was to deny him the alcohol, but they all drank, age not really being much of issue when they were being called into the line of duty at such a young age anyway. He was drinking to forget that he existed, so that the days would go that little bit faster.

Sakura took the coffee and biscuits to the balcony on a tray, to which the nin outside were grateful. Their shift was nearly over so they seemed a little chipper. Throughout Konoha, guarding Sasuke had gained infamy for being the most boring mission imaginable, and it showed with ANBU guards lying about all day, doing bugger all.

Sakura felt perturbed, she didn't want to give them anything. They were so unhelpful, so uncaring. They couldn't even make sure he stayed sober.

When she went back inside, Sakura began making dinner. She prepared the prawns, vegetables and noodles, ready for when she'd have to wake him, lest Sasuke not sleep through the night.

* * *

_Sasuke was dreaming. He could feel the breeze smooth against his skin, chill and comforting. The sky above was crystal clear, the grass between his toes meridian green and uncut. He was in the middle of a field, the waft of flowers smelt like new perfume. It was glorious, with the Sun a sharp oval against the vast blue of the great beyond._

_Sasuke was standing amidst the floral beauty. He wasn't sure why he was there, but he felt like he waiting, that he should be watching for someone to arrive. He twisted and turned, trying to figure out exactly who was here, who could see him, but be invisible to Sasuke's eyes. In the dream, his sharingan activated. He could see the ebb and flow of chakra, the blue hues pulsating like blood through veins. It did nothing to help; to him there was no other chakra signature, nothing but the pulse of the flowers._

"_It's been a while Sasuke,"_

_Sasuke's heart jumped at the voice. He felt short of breath, and the heat rose to his face. He turned around._

"_How have you been, little brother?" Itachi smiled at him, his face mirroring that of his last words. _

_Sasuke stood dumbfounded, the words caught in his throat. His legs seemed to move by their own accord, and slowly, Sasuke stepped towards his brother. He neared him, the wet of tears stinging his eyes, until something stopped him, like an invisible wall he could not make sense of. _

"_Not tonight, little brother,"_

* * *

Much to his annoyance, someone was shaking him.

"Sasuke?"

_That voice... _Sasuke's head took some time coming to. He was still drunk, and he felt dizzy. His eyes opened only to close again after feeling the whirling sensation of vertigo.

"Sasuke!"

Whoever was talking, they were shaking him more. Through his drunken delirium, Sasuke finally braved the light and woke up, his eyes staring into the sweet face of Haruno Sakura. She didn't look too pleased. In her hand was a mug of black coffee.

"You've got to get up Sasuke," She said soothingly, a hand affectionately rubbing his bare shoulder. "I let the shower run for you,"

To Sasuke, the world was spinning, but he forced himself to get up. Sakura moved from her position off the bed to allow him the room to move past her. The drink put a sway in his step as Sasuke wandered towards the bathroom. He felt Sakura walk briskly behind him, the smell of coffee and cooking filling the house. He felt awful, and knew it would only get worse as he sobered up.

"Go have a shower, and drink this," Sakura said, and thrust a towel into his arms as well as the mug of coffee.

Sasuke felt awkward, but not near as awkward as he would have felt sober. He knew with the sobriety would come the shame, but just trying to walk in a straight line was tough enough at the moment, so he dragged himself to the bathroom.

Sasuke half stumbled, cursing as hot coffee splashed over his bare chest. He just about managed to place the drink down on the metal shelf beneath the mirror without spilling more. He dared to look himself over in the mirror, and it was safe to say Sasuke wasn't looking his best. His eyes were hazy and dull, his pallor terrible. The bags under his eyes looked like bruises, and he needed to shave. Despite his stupor, Sasuke decided a shave was worth the risk. Much to his pleasure, he got through the shaving part just fine, his skills with a razor cancelling out his drunken state. Next he used the shower, washed his hair with shampoo, and lathered soap suds all over his body. He brushed his teeth, not bothering to leave the shower; his head was swaying too much for him to care.

He felt the sting of trepidation as he thought about having to face Sakura, about having to walk past those ANBU bastards still drunk. At least he didn't feel too ill. His stomach was aching with emptiness, and Sakura's cooking was always good. It beat eating cup-ramen most days. He let his head rest against the shower tiles, willing his body not to fall asleep. He closed his eyes, but opened them again as he recognised the smell of the lemony disinfectant he used earlier to scrub the bathroom. The smell brought him to his senses, and after he was sure he was free from the soapy suds, he left the shower cubicle.

Sasuke patted himself down, and then put his boxers and trousers back on. He rubbed the towel roughly through his hair, grabbed the coffee and left the bathroom. Sakura was in the kitchen, the sounds and smell of the food cooking rife in the air. He nipped back into his room and tugged on a black t-shirt then went to face Sakura.

She was tossing the contents of the steaming wok, the gas turned up all the way. He stood in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe, watching her work. He sipped the coffee. The silence between them was never a pleasant one, and he could see the worry on her face. He never knew the right words to say, never knew how to breach the tension that settled like a misty fog between them. It didn't help that the alcohol was making his mouth dumb and slightly paranoid.

"Sit down if you like, it's almost ready," Sakura said matter-of-factly. She didn't look up as she put down the wok and grabbed some plates from a high cupboard.

Sasuke watched as her toned legs stretched, and her perky backside rose to a perfect view. He stared without thinking and felt a rush of blood move to somewhere particularly awkward. He shook himself off, knowing the booze was impairing his judgement.

He came to himself, and swayed his way towards the tables. He sat down, and pinched the curve of his nose, attempting to regain some sense of dignity as his head span. He sipped at the coffee, and waited for Sakura to be seated. She placed his food down and fixed him with a tired, worrisome stare.

"You okay?" She asked, and sat down. She took out her chopsticks and began to eat.

Sasuke never knew what to say, so he stayed quiet. He looked at the food, ate a plump king prawn and gave a nod of approval. It was his way of saying he liked her cooking. Sakura smiled to herself as Sasuke remained silent, his eyes fixated on the food before him.

"Tsunade-shishou gave me your medication," Sakura said, and she beamed him her brightest smile. "It's mainly to help you sleep, and lessen your paranoia,"

Sasuke met her eyes briefly. Talking about such things were still bewildering and Sasuke often felt like he was revealing too much of himself, leaving too much of his inner-workings open for people to examine, to talk about. He had never been open, and it all seemed to be a shock to the system. It was hard to readjust after spending days and sometimes week's alone in training, absorbed solely on the bloody concept of revenge. He gave an imperceptible nod.

"They'll increase your appetite as well, but you'll be doing more during the day once you start training with Kakashi-Sensei,"

"When will the training start?" He asked, cursing the slight slur in his voice.

"In about a week, Shishou is filing all the paperwork," Sakura told him. "Your chakra will still be sealed, but at least you get to leave this place most days,"

Sasuke loathed staying in these four walls day in, day out. Now things were settled, he could finally start to get on with life.

"Your next appointment is on Thursday, how did it go today?"

"It went crap,"

"Tsunade-shishou will warm to you; remember she used to hate Naruto in the early days,"

"I am not Naruto," Sasuke sighed. "And I don't think I'll ever warm to her,"

"She's the mothering type, you'll see," Sakura smiled, and it was such a warm, optimistic smile Sasuke couldn't help but be wracked with guilt. She was always so good to him, she'd _always_ be good to him, and yet he had continually treated her like dirt.

"I'll try," He said, although the words were hard to stomach. The words made her smile, for them to have that effect was worth the anxious nausea he felt over the entire situation. As he gulped down the food, he decided to ask her to sober him up.

"Of course," She said, happy to oblige. "I didn't buy any more sake, you've been too reckless with it,"

Sasuke looked dejected, but it was true. He hid the shame behind his apathetic mask and hoped she wouldn't see the cracks in his demeanour.

When they had finished, Sasuke helped with the washing up. Together they both sufficed in making the washing up light work. Sakura seemed to cheer up; as it was rare Sasuke finished a meal these days. It was as if he was too agitated to digest the food, let alone eat it all.

The ANBU had switched shifts, and a new, more jovial pair took their seats on the balcony. Sakura went out with coffee and biscuits, to which they were most pleased.

The dusk had set Konoha in hues of purple, orange and gold. The birds sang their last songs, and a chill in the air blew through the breeze as the stars and moon became slowly visible. Sakura sat Sasuke down, handing him a glass of water and a tablet. He took it tentatively, not too pleased about the medication but realised he didn't have a choice in the matter.

Sakura watched him gulp down the table, her face smooth in the shafts of light that spilt like paint from the setting Sun. When Sasuke swallowed the tablet, he allowed her to touch the bare skin of his arm. Goosebumps rushed throughout his body as the green glow of medical chakra seeped into his system. It was always a pleasant feeling, having someone's trusted chakra enter the body. It was as if he was connected to her, the flow of his own chakra so close it entwined itself with hers until both were indistinguishable. He felt her extract the alcohol from his bloodstream. The rush of a hangover quickly rose to make him gag, but it soon went again as Sakura changed the intensity of her chakra.

"Concentrate through it," Sakura encouraged him, and quickly he began to feel better. His head wasn't aching or spinning, and suddenly the room seemed so stark and empty, the light casting long shadows a little too bright for sunset. When she had finished, Sasuke thanked her and went about lounging on the sofa, whilst Sakura cut herself a piece of chocolate cake. Sasuke wasn't overly keen on deserts, so declined, but after an hour or so of them mindlessly watching TV, he felt hungry again.

"There's loads of chocolate cake left, and you know Naruto's going to eat the whole thing once he gets back, so you might as well eat what you can now," Sakura told him, knowing the size of Naruto's appetite was legendary.

Sasuke couldn't believe how empty his stomach was. It was clearly the effects of the medication. His face looked worried and confused as he re-entered the room, cake in hand.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Sasuke-kun. It's normal for your appetite to increase," Sakura said, and she looked pointedly at his lithe form. "You'll need to put some weight on before you start training; your body needs the fuel,"

"Fine," Sasuke said, though he hated not being in control of his body. It seemed like everyone was controlling him, down to whether he could go out, to how much he ate. He hated Tsunade for being such a domineering force.

Sakura sat next to him on the sofa as they watched the same programmes as they did most nights. Sasuke had surprised her as he began to slip into a routine of various shows and programmes. He was mostly into soaps, and there were plenty of them to be addicted to. He made her feel nervous; they never knew what to say to each other. They would just sit and watch the screen, and only really talk when Naruto was there to drag words out of Sasuke's mouth.

"Do you think Haruki will ask Yumi to marry him this episode?" Sakura asked, as the soap's opening credits ended.

"Haruki came-out as gay. You missed the episode before when he kissed Shuji. It's clear he's a poufter anyway... Aren't girls meant to have sixth-sense with these things?" Sasuke stated, a little too seriously for Sakura. She giggled and Sasuke gave her a narrowed side-ways glance.

"Sorry, I've never imagined you becoming so into soaps,"

"I have nothing else to do all day, remember?"

* * *

Later that evening, Naurto and Hinata stumbled back to the flat. Sasuke could hear them giggle outside in the hallway. Sakura looked up and smiled as she watched them both enter the room, a draft of cool breeze accompanying them.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned ear to ear as wrapped his arms around Hinata's slim waist possessively.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes as the couple before him gushed with blushing faces and saccharine smiles. He flashed Naruto a seething look before turning back to the television.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto chirped, with all the enthusiasm a man who was about to get laid could possibly have. It served as too much of reminder of how terrible his love life was going. He'd barely been able to hold a conversation with Sakura all night, let alone make a move.

"How was your meal?" Sakura asked.

"It was great," Hinata told Sakura, as she stood up from the sofa. "We went to Ichikaru,"

Sakura smiled, Hinata was dressed up to the nines in a white dress and Naruto had taken her to Ichihraku? Idiot.

"That's not very romantic, Naruto," Sakura mock-chided him. "I thought you were into the romance?"

"What are you talking about? Ichiraku makes the best ramen in Konoha!" Naruto said, "And you have a perfect view of the stars,"

Sakura turned to Hinata, and the dark-haired girl grinned.

"You want some tea? I was thinking of putting the kettle on anyway,"

"No need, Hinata and I bought wine on the way back, thought we could all share a drink or two,"

Sakura hesitated, and whipped her glance towards Sasuke. The young man sat staring at the screen, pretending to ignore the world. Sakura thought they might as well, seeing as he wasn't alone.

"Sure, I'll get some wine glasses," She said, and went into the kitchen.

Sasuke never turned around, but he'd felt Sakura's gaze boring through the back of his head. He had a tendency to start but never stop, but if there was a limited amount then what harm could it do?

* * *

Three hours later, Sasuke was hammered. The wine had travelled straight to his head and now he felt like the world was toppling over. Naruto and Hinata had gone to "bed" an hour earlier, with the blond scooping her up into his arms and running off to his bedroom. The alcohol had brought out the mischievous side of Sasuke, and both he and Sakura had laughed as they talked about how ridiculously in love the other two were.

Sakura was also quite drunk. She'd learned a few months back that without the use of her medical ninjutsu she had little tolerance for alcohol. She'd consumed nowhere near enough as Sasuke and Naruto, but they'd all shared two bottles of wine between them all. Hinata had pretty rosy cheeks before she was swept away by her lover.

"They're going to be fucking, all night long," Sasuke said, exasperated. "No amount of wine can keep that sight out of my mind,"

"At least they've put music on," Sakura grinned as the cacophony emanating from Naruto's room pounded through the flat.

"I'm hungry again," Sasuke said pinching his nose, the alcohol gave his cheeks colour, and mouth a slight smile.

Sakura smiled back, twirling strands of her shiny pink locks. He was positively ravenous, she saw it clear in his eyes, but what for, her or the chocolate cake?

"There's more cake in the kitchen," She said, and Sasuke went to slice a piece.

"Did you make this?" He asked.

"No, it's from the pastry shop in town," Sakura replied. "But maybe you and I could make one, you know give you something else to do in day other than watching trashy soaps,"

"If it's anything like this, you can make a ton," Sasuke scoffed.

Sakura grinned, and sipped some more wine. She admired how stunning he was in the low light of the room. They'd shut the blinds so the ANBU on the balcony couldn't see them, and they cast a shadow against the white material.

Sasuke polished off his piece of chocolate cake and put his plate in the dishwasher. The throb of the music pumped to the beat of his heart. He was tired, but didn't feel like sleep. He had Sakura all to himself, a rare moment for times like these. He hurried back to the sofa and sat down. He asked her about work, and she replied it was the same as usual; organised chaos with always one too many hypochondriacs. She laughed as she told him about one man in the clinic who had a cylindrical flower ornament shoved up his arse; the remnants of a notorious ANBU initiation process.

Sasuke watched as the light softly cast her smooth skin in a golden hue, and how her eyes gleamed with happiness. She grinned so easily, and all he wanted was for her to always look like that. For her to be happy, made him happy, and that's probably why he leant towards her ever so gently and brushed his lips against hers. It was an impromptu move, and Sakura froze as Sasuke sucked her bottom lip before cupping her face with his hand and kissing her properly.

Sakura sat dumbfounded, unable to respond. Feeling his calloused thumb caress her cheek sent shivers through her, and it took a while for her to reciprocate. She sighed as his tongue battled for entrance, roaming across her top lip. She didn't care in that moment that this was probably alcohol-fuelled. She parted her mouth and let him deepen the kiss, relishing the sensation as she pulled him closer by his t-shirt.

Sasuke slowly tipped them both down, so he was affectively lying atop Sakura, whose head rested on a pillow filled with feathers. Sasuke continued to kiss her cheeks, her neck, all the while his hand roamed up and down the smooth pane of her thigh.

He was halfway through unzipping her top, when something crashed in Naruto's room and a male voice shouted "fuck" so loudly it made Sasuke instantly nauseous. He stopped all movement and instead looked down at Sakura, who was sprawled beneath him, her red shirt opened so he could see the curve of her breasts under her black bra. She was panting as heavily as he was; the rise of her chest rapid. Her hands were still clinging to his shirt, and before she let go avoided his eyes.

"I think I better go, I've got work early tomorrow," She stated, and Sasuke knew their moment was over. Sakura seemed a little shocked by what just happened, and to be fair so was he. Sasuke stood up and leant a hand as she too got up, and zipped up her shirt. She looked at him, questioning him, as if there were an ulterior motive behind his actions. He felt the stab of shame, as he knew she didn't trust him.

On the other hand, Sasuke watched her like her hawk, his body aching to touch her again, to feel her kiss him back. It was true the alcohol had made him bolder, but he still had desires and needs he craved to fulfil. To Sasuke his feelings only revealed themselves too readily at times, and was well aware he tended to be too full of emotion and unable to handle it at the best of times. Tonight was just another of his whims.

Sakura peered up at him as she put on her coat, she looked nervous and all the words she wanted to say caught in the back of her throat.

"I'll see you tomorrow," She whispered and moved to the door. Sasuke followed her. As she left the threshold, he leant down again, never breaking eye contact. He slowly moved his face down to hers and kissed her lips chastely, before Sakura smiled softly and walked into the darkness of night.

_At least she looks happy, _Sasuke thought, although her trepidation worried him. He walked to the sofa and sat down again, noting how empty it felt without her sitting there. He polished off the rest of her glass, and now alone in the stillness of the apartment, he tried to push away any thoughts of what was going on in Naruto's bedroom.

* * *

The end of Chapter Two, hope you enjoyed it, please R&R.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank to everyone who reviewed, I'm on a roll so I decided to upload this chapter.

* * *

**Cracks**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"_Itachi?" Sasuke calls, but there is no answer. He's in the flower meadow again, his every sense accosted by the thousand different scents. He could even taste the waft of sweet peas in the air. There was little breeze, and the Sun warmed his skin. He's waiting again, but he doesn't know when he'll arrive. He walks to the shadow of the single oak tree in the midst of flowers and sits there, eyes scanning the horizon. Sasuke begins to craft a daisy-chain, as the Sun moves unnaturally fast through the sky. It is nearly setting when Itachi comes for him. _

"_Hello Sasuke," Itachi says softly. _

_Sasuke looks up from his daisy-chain and scrambles to his feet. He doesn't know whether he should punch or hug this glowing apparition. He only stares, as the tears well in his eyes. _

"_You did well, little brother," Itachi smiles, and he seems so radiant, so ethereal. His lightly-tanned skin glows in the glare of a now setting Sun. "I cannot stay with you for long,"_

_The tears gush in runnels down Sasuke's face, as his muscles begin to ache and cheeks become sore. He never thinks before he acts, so when he rushes towards his brother and holds on to him tight it seems a shock for both of them. But all Sasuke could think in those brief couple of minutes is how Itachi smelt exactly the same as he did all those years ago, and it comforted him, lulled him like no medication could. Just to be near him was a fantasy he knew could never come true, but it didn't lessen the moment._

"_I've missed you for so long," He cried, and he looked no less than heart-broken. "I wish everyday that I could listen to you, speak to you. You're the only one who understands..."_

"_I am always with you Sasuke, a part of my soul will never leave you, and I've watched you make so many mistakes... But I've also seen you grow, and I've never been prouder of you," Itachi said, as he embraced his brother with all the love he could garner."You are the true heir to the Uchiha's history, and you will build our Clan back to its former glory, I know you will,"_

"_But it's so hard... After what I did," Sasuke sniffed and wiped his face with the back of his hand. "They don't look at me the same anymore, Itachi,"_

_Itachi squeezed his shoulder, trying to comfort his distressed younger brother. _

"_We live in amongst hypocrites, and it's a lot easier to make enemies than friends in our world, but you have them. There are people who would give up their lives for you. They only want what's best for you, and I won't be able to watch over you forever,"_

_Sasuke looked aghast. "Please don't leave,"_

_Itachi gazed into the distant sunset, his eyes narrowed with thought. "I have to pass on soon. You don't need any more ghosts Sasuke,"_

* * *

Sasuke woke with a start, and a curse, for he felt the wetness of the tears he'd spilt. His head was spinning, mood as low as it could possibly be. He'd slept maybe four, five hours? Naruto and Hinata had gone to sleep at least at a _reasonable _hour, but the thought of them having sex in the next room hadn't exactly put him in the best state of mind for sleep.

It was clear to note that he yet again had woken up intoxicated, so decided he would get up and have a shower. He could smell breakfast being made in the next room. It smelt like grilled fish and rice. Deciding he would eat first, Sasuke went to the bathroom to wash his face. After deducting he didn't look like he'd just been crying, he walked into the kitchen to find Naruto and Hinata (wearing Naruto's pyjamas) at the table eating.

"Morning Sasuke!" Naruto chirped, mouth full of food. He grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Sleep well?"

_Of course I fucking didn't, _Sasuke never bothered to react anymore, he simply glared with a scowl.

"I made you some food, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said, motioning towards the stove.

"Hinata's the best cook in the world, she's gonna cook me ramen tonight, you in?"

"No thanks," Sasuke replied, dishing out the grilled fish and steamed, sticky rice. He topped the rice with soy sauce before sitting down at the table.

"You'll be missing out on the best ramen of your life," Naruto warned, though he was secretly hoping he get it all to himself.

"You must have some weird fetish with that muck, how you can eat them is beyond me,"

Naruto looked most dejected, but also a little annoyed. "Every time you speak ill of ramen, a cute little bunny dies,"

"That stuff gives you an upset stomach, something of which _I _have to put up with," Sasuke spat, knowing all too well of the consequences of instant ramen on Naruto's stomach.

Hinata blushed with the thought and kept herself out of the banter.

"You're a boy, you're not meant to be all prissy. You're supposed to be manly,"

"Just because I hate your flatulence I'm less of a man?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes with loathing. "I was brought up with manners, Naruto,"

"Manners? You haven't even thanked Hinata –chan yet!"

"I _would _have if you gave me a chance to think," Sasuke snapped, and sharply turned to Hinata. "This is wonderful, thank you,"

Hinata gave him a meek smile, wondering how Sakura had coped with this for so long. Well, she guessed she'd seen this type of rivalry between Kiba and Shino, but their squabbling appeared never ending.

"You know, you're prissier than Sai at times, and he's a social retard," Naruto chided, his blue eyes glittering with mischievously. "He _may _even be a little bit cleaner than you,"

"Cleanliness is not something to be ashamed of!" Sasuke scoffed, as if Naruto were truly the brainless idiot he sort out in life to be.

"You're the spiders' worse enemy; everything is so clean I could eat off of nearly every surface. It stinks of disinfectant, and tonnes of room spray to _hide _the disinfectant smell, you're _obsessed _with perfection, just like Sai, only he hasn't the typical artist's moodiness as you do,"

"There is nothing wrong with being clean!" Sasuke sneered, thinking how disastrously messy Naruto's room was. The thought made him shudder. "You clean your room like twice a year, it's disgusting,"

"Not your territory, so you can't do anything about it," Naruto sang with glee.

Sasuke sat in silence, not wanting to dignify anything Naruto said with an answer. He cast his mind back to last night, when he'd kissed Sakura. He wasn't sure how it happened; only that it felt so right at the time he, and he was aching for her. The thought of being locked in the same room again tonight was wracking his mind with nerves, be there other people in the room or not. For now he would settle down to watch his daily shows, which consisted mainly of crappy soap s and quiz shows.

Both Naruto and Hinata were soon on their way out for missions that were pre-booked. Sasuke said he'd do the washing up, as he had no appointments to keep.

"Oh and by the way Sasuke, Sai's back today and he's gonna come around midday, bye bye," Naruto said, before he left.

Sasuke groaned. Of all the people they could have sent... Sai was someone he had absolutely no interest in making friends with. The thought made him reach for the half-empty bottle of red wine and pour a glass, because he didn't feel like he had the courage to go another day without the impulse to strangle the bastard till he went purple.

* * *

Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow. She was careened over the body of a ninja with multiple kunai wounds. The shinobi had been attacked by rogue nin, now the last of his platoon. She managed to stop the bleeding from his abdomen and stabilised his ruptured organs. Even with the pain killers the man was still groaning.

"It's okay, you're going to be all right," She told him, though she knew it was little consolation given the amount of pain he was feeling. The nurses deftly made work of cleaning the blood from the nasty wound.

"You can dress it now, and give him morphine," Sakura instructed, and left the room. The nurses would take care of him now. She changed out of her bloody over-alls and then washed her hands and face. It was a terrible blow, and Tsunade would want the details from him as soon as possible. After the war, the Leaf's numbers had depleted significantly. A blow like this would sting, with nearly twenty men the loss was something to be concerned about. She began reapplying her make-up when she heard the tell-tale signs of Tsunade walking briskly down the hallway.

"I've just been told, has he mentioned anything yet?" Tsunade's blonde head popped through the door.

"A large group of rogue nin attacked, I don't know how much he can tell you right now, he's in a lot of pain, but he's not critical. I'd do a full debriefing with him in the next couple of days,"

"Good work Sakura, you're a star," Tsunade said and disappeared, but shouted down the hallway as she went. "You're excused from clinic, as Sai is going to visit Sasuke in ten minutes,"

Sakura was surprised. She hadn't expected to see Sasuke until the evening. She remembered the seam of his lips against her own, and the skin of her neck. It was safe to say she had been shocked, but the gesture had also stirred the feeling she had for him. She had had to pinch herself for the number of times he'd gazed at her with what she'd describe as longing, but Sakura had only figured those expressions were loneliness, the fact that he felt so detached from everyone.

Still, she'd need to wrestle free from her anxieties, she guessed she would see today how he really felt, if he survived another encounter with Sai for that matter.

* * *

"It's good that they've medicated you, at least you won't be prone to those sudden out bursts of rage anymore," Sai stated, looking up from his painting with that cheap, plastic smile.

Sasuke kept his mouth firmly shut. No medication could quell the murderous intent he felt towards that boy.

"They say I'm supposed to converse with you, Sasuke-kun, but you never seem to want to talk to me," Sai kept his mouth running, to which Sasuke was most perturbed. "They say the best way to have friends is to be one, can't we be friends?"

"No, we cannot Sai,"

"Why not?" Sai genuinely looked shocked.

"Because I _hate _you," Sasuke announced, with all the malice he could muster. He saw Sai as the real intruder, hated the way the others interacted around this social idiot. "And I would like you to go away and leave me alone,"

"But the Hokage said someone should be with most of the day, so you don't become a recluse. You don't want that do you?"

"If it means you'd just fuck off, then I'd be alone for the rest of my days,"

"But then you wouldn't have Naruto, Sakura or Kakashi. That's clearly not what you want, as you wouldn't have come back if you didn't want to see them just because of me,"

Sasuke could feel the sickening loathing in Sai's voice. Once a traitor, always a bloody traitor. That's how he'd been brought up to think like, and Sasuke knew it would never change. Sai hated him just as much as Sasuke hated him.

"I am genuinely interested to see how becoming a functioning citizen once again. It's something I should follow as valuable information on the human psyche. You've been through trauma and your mind's suffering for it,"

"I'm not a fucking guinea pig, you stupid little nonce,"

"Why do you call me a "nonce"? I'm not a homosexual, and that's a derogatory term,"

"Fuck you,"

"Well now who's the nonce?"

"Just please... can you shut up?" Sasuke spat. He was trying to watch his soap, where Yumi was pulling the plug on her aged husband.

"But Tsunade-sama told us that talking was good therapy-"

"I _don't _want to talk to _you!" _Sasuke declared. "I am trying to watch TV,"

"Watching TV rots the mind and I don't think your brain should be under anymore strain, given your neurotic tendencies,"

Sasuke was going red; he wanted so badly to inflict Sai with the most powerful Tsukiyomi he could possibly concoct.

"_Please_, leave me alone. I'm talking reasonably. Please, shut up," Sasuke half pleaded, being aggressive didn't work so perhaps he could reason with him.

"I am under strict instructions to talk to you; I can't be failing my mission surely?"

Sasuke was near boiling point, when suddenly someone opened the door. Both young men stopped what they were doing and looked around, only to find Haruno Sakura stepping inside.

"I was told not to leave you two alone, considering what happened last time?"

"Don't you have hospital duties?" Sasuke asked, though secretly very pleased that Sakura had come round to see him.

"I did, and I'm still on-call if they need me," She said, and told them both about the fact that whole platoon had been attacked. Both boys were shocked that such a thing happened.

"There must have been a lot of rogue shinobi for that to happen," Sai said, bewildered. There hadn't been such a grievous loss since the war.

"Yeah, Shishou wants their heads on a large, pointy stick,"

"Well I know my division will be doing for the next few days," Sai said, and it was likely true, as Tsunade had kept the Root alive but under her control. Some of the members, like Sai, were even interacting with the other Konoha citizens, seeing as there were no more harsh restrictions imposed upon them anymore.

"I know, you stay safe though," Sakura said, and ruffled Sai's hair. She'd taken to elderly sister's role towards him lately. Sasuke felt a pang of jealousy as she joked and laughed with him, just like he hated it when she did that with Naruto. Their intimacy was something that rattled his cage, and reminded of how much of an outsider he had become.

"Have either of you had lunch?" She asked, now gazing at Sasuke.

"No," He said, but didn't really feel like it. He was still slightly tipsy from the wine he drank earlier and hoped she didn't notice.

She made some tea and laid out some salad and cold meats. Sasuke walked out into the kitchen, suddenly not so worried about missing his soap. Yumi was bound to pull the plug on her comatose husband anyway. She was after Haruki, and Sasuke would be damned that man would be any less gay by the next time tomorrow. He homed in on Sakura and, in a moment of folly, ran his finger along the curve of her spine, making Sakura jump and turn around.

Sasuke smirked as he watched her watch him from under her long lashes.

"Help me with these?" She gestured towards the meal prepared. "And can you take a plate out to the guys outside?"

Sasuke outstretched his hand, leaning in close enough for Sakura could feel the seer of his breath against her ear and his chest flush against hers. He saw her bite her bottom lip and Sasuke smirked with triumph.

He made taking the food at the ANBU guards as quick and painless as possible.

"Here's some lunch, I hope you both choke,"

"Lovely working with you too Uchiha, having fun with your boyfriend?"

"Fuck off," Sasuke called as he slammed the balcony door.

* * *

Sakura stayed with him the whole afternoon, even when Sai slinked away. They sat on the sofa drinking tea, and watching awful day-time TV into the evening. Sasuke ignored his hangover as he lounged and enjoyed spending time with Sakura, who occasionally sneaks peaks at him through those long, full eyelashes. As the hours ticked by it seemed as if she was edging closer and closer to him, until her thigh touched his. Sasuke felt comforted by the warmth of her leg and stole glances at their wondrous length and tone.

Sasuke felt awkward, felt heaviness in his limbs that subdued him from submitting to his primal urges. He wasn't sure that Sakura knew how she affected him, and how badly he wanted to touch her. He attributed this anxiety from the fact he rarely saw other girls than Hinata, and she wouldn't be making a move on him any time soon. But he didn't want to look at other girls, or fantasize about someone else. His only fantasy was of his pink-haired teammate, and he wanted to touch her so badly.

"Would you like some more tea?" Sakura asked him, and he nodded and watched her hips sway as she went to the kitchen. He had to collect himself, for he was rigid as a rock when she left. His anxiety was imbuing a sense of panic, and it was so difficult to stifle it.

Sakura came back with a porcelain pot. She took one look at him and worry was rife across her face.

"What's the matter?" She asked, her face so open loving, she was like an innocent lamb.

Sasuke didn't know how to tell her, so he bit the bullet and showed her by tracing his hands up along her toned legs. Sakura half-jumped as his hands touched her smooth skin, she started as if he'd sent an electrical charge up along her legs. She looked as stunned as she had last night after he kissed her. He could smell her; she smelt of fresh mornings, jasmine blossoms and that highly distinct female musk that seemed so perfect and feminine. Sasuke knew this was all because of rampant hormones, that since the moment he'd come back he had wanted her, wanted to touch her and make things right. The way they should always have been.

Sakura backed away slightly, and placed the teapot on the low coffee table. She then smiled softly and brushed her knuckles against his cheek. Sasuke took that as her sign she accepted him and kissed the open palm of her hand. He was alone and confused, and all he could think of was touching her, being closer to her and now maybe it would all consolidate into this one moment he hoped they'd share for longer than he'd care to admit.

Sasuke knew being held under house-arrest wasn't helping either, maybe if he were allowed to train or go on missions he would think about her less, but the fact of the matter was he wanted her, and perhaps in this one moment he'll be able to control the last of his dignity.

Sakura smiled reassuringly as he got to his feet, and bent his head down close to hers.

"Not here," She whispered and smiled as she took his hand and lead him towards his bedroom. Her heart was racing, and for once she wasn't so worried about Sasuke. He was trying to breach the great rift that had settled between them, and for that she was grateful. For Sasuke he still needed to know whether there was a part of his life could control, someone who he could still enchant.

That's how he felt when he followed her into the room and pinned her against the door, kissing Sakura ferociously. His hands went to cup her backside as he rolled his hips against hers. Sakura groaned with pleasure, feeling that delicious stab against her hips as Sasuke placed wondrous kisses along her neck and jaw line. Her legs were parted and he supported her fully against the door, until he decided there needed to be far fewer clothes between them. Sasuke removed his shirt, and then helped Sakura with hers. He removed her mesh top and fumbled with her bra, still kissing her with all his being.

Sakura groaned into his mouth as the bra fell away, the skin of her chest came flush against hers. Sasuke moved away and gazed down, to see how beautifully perky her breasts were. When he brought a hand to touch them Sakura shivered. She's never had a man touch her before, and the evening's frivolities were running away with her.

"Wait, wait," She whispered, as Sasuke's hands moved everywhere they could. "I haven't done this before..."

"Neither have I," Sasuke hugged her to him, his hand unbuckling her medical skirt. He watched her eyes. She was becoming nervous, and the fright in her eyes stopped him. Her arm came up to shelter her from his gaze, and she backed away slightly.

Sasuke looked down, suddenly ashamed.

"I'm sorry," He pinched the bridge of his nose and ran hand over his face.

"No, don't be, I just- it's a bit of a shock that's all," Sakura rushed to him, her arm still covering her breasts. She bent down and picked up her bra, and put back on. She seemed to recover after that, and came up to place a reassuring hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Sasuke whispered, but couldn't keep the worry out of his voice. He was being too forceful, too passionate, as he always was.

Sakura blushed at his words.

"You're beautiful," Sasuke said, and rubbed his thumb under her chin. Sakura pushed into his touch, as bit her bottom lip again. The air between them was awkward, full of stifled wants and desires that seemed too difficult to act upon.

"We could still kiss and stuff, if you want to?" She asked tentatively, and Sasuke replied by kissing her nose, then her lips. He loved the feel of her petite shoulders, of the hands that could break smash boulders smooth against his skin. He picked her up sat on the bed, placing her on his lap. They kissed for what seemed like blissful hours, until Sakura had to leave, and was replaced by Kakashi.

Their silver-haired Sensei arched an eyebrow as he watched Sasuke kiss Sakura goodbye.

"Am I going to have to sit you down and have _that _chat, Sasuke?" Kakashi said, once Sakura had gone.

"I'm surprised you haven't already given me sex tips," Sasuke retorted.

"That's what Icha Icha was for,"

"Speaking of which, I need the next book," He handed Kakashi his book in exchange for the last novel.

"I recommend you read Chapter Five very closely," He said. "You may learn some valuable life lessons,"

Sasuke flicked through the book, and found chapter five. "_Spit or swallow?"_

Later, Sasuke would read through Icha Icha, musing how a man such as Jiraiya could infuse something which was mainly porn with so much philosophy. It was as if every depraved became symbolic of the character's development.

Similarly, he found it strange that he'd ended up going to Orochimaru for power, Jiraiya for sex tips and Tsunade for emotional counselling.

* * *

"Good morning Uchiha," Tsunade said, watching him sit down from above the rim of her coffee mug.

Sasuke didn't bother to reply; he simply nodded and sat where he was supposed to.

"We've much to discuss today, how would you say your moods have been?"

"My moods are always shit, and the same with my sleep," Sasuke said. "But I do so little during the day it's not surprising, when will I be training with Kakashi again?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Tsunade replied. "I'm still negotiating with the other nations; you're still a liability in their books," She arranged her notes and took out a fresh page, ready to jot down whatever he said.

"How have you been finding the medication?"

"It makes me tired and hungry, that's all, but I think it's not helping my anxiety,"

"It won't help with that. Apart from the obvious, what are you anxious about?"

Sasuke didn't really want to tell her about him and Sakura, but he felt it was unavoidable at this moment.

"Sakura and I..." He paused as Tsuande made a face.

"I expected as much, she's a fool for you," Tsunade said, unable to avoid the worry in her voice. She didn't want her prized pupil beaten bruised at the heart, longing for a man she didn't really understand. "I'll speak to her about that, but I'm not sure if you're ready for a relationship yet, you're still suffering from trauma and exhaustion,"

"I initiated it, and I want to be with her,"

"You're highly unstable, and I can tell you're still drinking," Tsunade chastised. "Don't think I can't tell Uchiha,"

Sasuke's narrowed. "I will drink if I want, I don't drink much more than the others do,"

"Your friends aren't depressed, Sasuke. I'm sure Orochimaru taught you about the three Shinobi vices. Your career can be laid to ruin,"

"Yes, your gambling habits are a great example,"

"Don't be smart with me, Sasuke," Tsunade said. "Yes, I had a problem, but as you can see I made a success of my life, looking after you idiot children," She sipped her coffee. "What you're in danger of is addiction, and I'll be damned if you ruin all our hard work with a drinking habit,"

"So apart from berating me, what do you want to talk about today?" Sasuke crossed his arms, and made himself look as bored as possible. He didn't want to be here, and neither did she, he might as well get it over with.

"I wanted to talk to you about Itachi,"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What about him?"

"I want to know how you feel about your brother; your opinion of him must have rapidly changed from previous events,"

Sasuke sat stock still; his eye betrayed nothing as he thought back to his dreams.

"You feel guilty that so much was placed on his shoulders, that you hated him for so long even though he loved you more than anyone in the world," Tsunade stated, and Sasuke knew all these feelings were true. "You feel guilty that you couldn't save him, or show that even after everything he did, you still loved him enough to wage war,"

Sasuke's mouth was a grim line.

"Because of what he sacrificed for the stability of the Leaf you turned your anger back on the very institution that raised you, instigated fight after fight with the people who are your friends. You felt the intent to kill them because you couldn't see past your delusions of paranoia,"

Sasuke felt the shame coming, it seemed to pull through his hair and tear his skin.

"You couldn't bear to look at them, because everything to do with the Leaf reminded you of your brother, and the shame you felt for hating him," Tsunade said, locking eyes as Sasuke never wavered.

"What do you want me to say?" Sasuke said his face suddenly a rush with anger.

"You don't need to say anything, or you can scream or cry, or whatever you come naturally,"

Sasuke hung his head slightly. He just stared into his lap.

"I have nothing to say,"

* * *

Thank you for reading, please R&R.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I hope I managed to answer you all. :) Here is Cracks Chapter Four, there's some heavy drinking and smoking in this, so you are warmed.

* * *

**Cracks**

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Sasuke stared at the wall; it wasn't very interesting, but he wanted to avoid answering Tsunade's questions as best he could.

"Another hour of silence, Sasuke?" She said, eyes narrowing. "You've not been my most compliant patient, and you're never going to move on if you keep things bottled up, trust me,"

Tsunade watched his face, he looked so sullen and his quietness was beginning to grate. He'd been coming to her five times now, and since had barely uttered a syllable. Every time it was the same questions reiterated to tedium. Whenever she mentioned Itachi, he seemed to wince. Despite herself, she began to feel sorry for him.

"Maybe you'll perk up once I mention the up-coming Tanabata Festival," She goaded, seeing his face change as he began to focus on her. "I'm allowing you free reign to do what you like, with whom you like,"

Sasuke's eyes seem to brighten. "No ANBU following me?"

"Nope, I'm deciding to give you some freedom, as you have been so well behaved," Tsunade continued, figuring that if the stick didn't work, maybe the carrot would. "Can do what you like; be as drunk as you like I'll turn a blind eye... But there is one condition,"

"What?"

"The next day, you're in this room and you must tell me everything, from the beginning to end,"

"And if I don't agree I'll be stuck in the apartment all night?"

"Yes, you'll be bored as hell,"

Sasuke seemed to consider her offer. "That's a very lucrative deal," He narrowed his eyes, and rubbed his chin in thought. It would beat the general everyday monotony, and those ANBU bastards would at least leave him be. "I agree,"

The Tanabata Festival was in a week's time. He wouldn't want to talk to Tsunade anymore then than he does now, but maybe if he psyched himself up prior to that day he'd be able to get through it. Tsunade seemed very satisfied with herself, but gazed at him with warning.

"Fuck up and you fuck up big time, remember that,"

"How could I possibly fuck up? I don't have any chakra at my disposal,"

"I don't want anything to even cross you mind, and remember to keep that temper in check. I know about you and Sai," She enunciated these words with the tap of her finger against the desk. "Best behaviour, I don't want to hear a mention of your name in a bad light,"

"I'll try," Sasuke said, he felt like a naughty child, like he was being lightly scolded by his mother. He pushed the thoughts from his mind, feeling the hole of grief engulf his mind.

"You better, and now go away, I don't want to see you again until after the Festival," She said, and Sasuke took his leave. He walked out of the room, and the ANBU waiting outside escorted him home.

* * *

"She's letting you out for the Festival?" Naruto asked his face bright from delight. "Tsunade-baachans's becoming soft,"

Sasuke made his tea, and threw the bag in the bin. "I might as well do what you do," He said, and continued with foreboding as he guessed what he'd be doing. "That is unless; you're going to drink yourself into a state and end up having messy drunken sex with Hinata in the other room?"

"Most probably," Naruto agreed, though his face softened. "But I'll stay with you, keep you out of trouble and such,"

"As long as you don't hold my hand and keep your camp ways to yourself, you can do what you like," Sasuke seethed, but he was thankful Naruto wouldn't ditch him. He'd be lost on his own, alone in the crowds without Naruto's tenacity keeping everything sane and lucid. He'd be there to vouch for him, especially if some idiot started a fight. Sasuke of course was not particularly popular, and going out without a chaperone would be a pretty big moment, considering he hadn't been allowed his freedom for nearly three months now.

"Lee, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji and Sai are coming over," Naruto told him, and watched Sasuke's face pale.

"You and Kiba will be hell, I've _seen _what you two get up to," Sasuke inwardly sighed. Kiba and Naruto tended to egg each other on, no matter the stupidity of their actions. Last time they went out, they kidnapped Kakashi's plant. He wasn't happy. "If I pass out or something, _please _don't shave off my eyebrows,"

"Don't worry, Kiba's too scared of you to do anything like that," Naruto grinned. Sasuke seemed surprised.

"People are actually _scared _of me?"

"Yeah, they don't say it but their body language says all whenever you're mentioned," Naruto continued, he switched on the kettle and took a cup ramen from the cupboard. "They don't know how to act around you,"

"I wouldn't say I'm scary,"

"I don't know, when you're ranting and raving, and full of blood lust you're pretty intimidating," Naruto replied, considering. "And that Susanno'o thing is quite scary,"

"So they're scared because they think I'm insane?"

"Well aren't you... just maybe a little?" Naruto said, but when he saw Sasuke go red he waved his hands in apology. "I'm just saying you've had a lot of pressure on your shoulders, you couldn't cope and had a sort of breakdown, happens all the time, don't worry,"

Sasuke sipped his tea and continued to glower at Naruto. It was true that in their profession people could become pretty unhinged. If they weren't slightly daunted by the violence of their lifestyle then they were generally considered creepy psychopaths.

"You feel too much rather than too little, that's why it happened to you," Naruto tried to quell the situation and put Sasuke at ease. "Nothing to be ashamed of,"

Sasuke stood thoughtfully. His tea steamed in the mug. If he had nothing to be ashamed of, why was there a little voice in the back of his head telling him he _would_ be ashamed and haunted by his past acts for the rest of his mizzling existence? No amount of telling him that it was fine, and he'd get over it ever made him feel like he'd move on. It just kept him gripped to the ground by shame and grief.

"It's fine don't worry about it," Sasuke lied, and decided to keep Naruto as far from the subject as he could. "Anyway you have to shut up for an hour; I'm missing my soaps,"

"Pfft, you call _me_ camp,"

Sasuke switched on the TV, and the credits rolled across the screen, Naruto continued to blabber.

"Shut up!"

* * *

"You brought the curlers?" Ino grinned and jostled Sakura inside her flat. Tonight was the Tanabata Festival, and the Village was adorned with thousands of little lanterns. There was a parade and everyone was dressed to the nines, either in yukata or going-out dresses. Sakura had brought with her a pretty red number, a summer dress that tied in a halter at the back of her neck. Ino was wearing her trade-mark purple strapless dress and gold strappy sandals. Her hair was long and following, ready to be curled into heavy waves.

"Aaaah lovely," She plugged the tongs in and waited for them to heat up. She turned and hugged Sakura. "I've missed you babe, where've you been all my life, cherub?"

"I have been tending to a wounded Sasuke, Ino-face," She hugged her friend back. "Someone has to keep Naruto and Sasuke sane, and not going for each others' throats,"

"It's been too long, but we shall rectify this," Ino moved away, and unveiled a large bottle of sake. She shook the bottle at Sakura. "Party time!"

The girls giggled and began doing their hair and make-up, Ino curled her hair into soft waves, while Sakura curled her hair around the tongs forming large ringlets.

"I can't wait to go out, it's been ages!" Ino chirped, the TV was on the background, and she switched it on to the music channel. A beat pumped through the air, and Ino began to sway her hips to the music whilst Sakura continued to do her hair.

"So, when's Hinata getting here?" Sakura asked.

"She's doing some Hyuuga thing, she's coming over later," Ino replied, checking her mascara.

"That's cool; you wouldn't believe the news I have for you by the way," Sakura goaded.

"Oh my god, it can only be about Sasuke if you tell it like that," Ino's eyes glistened with envy. "You two done _it_ yet?"

"No, but we came close to it,"

Ino squealed louder than Sakura had ever heard and shielded her ears. "Are you fucking serious?" The blonde laughed, and hugged Sakura. "Congratulations! Why "nearly" rather than "yes", you didn't choke did you?"

"Ino!" Sakura grinned and laughed. "It's nothing like, it's just like we were kissing, and he was taking my clothes off and all I could think about was him leaving and I just lost the moment,"

Ino looked back at her friend in wonder. "You just thought of him leaving and lost it?"

"Well yeah, I still feel like I can't trust him. He's so closed, he barely even speaks to me and suddenly he's touching and kissing me,"

"He's going stir-crazy in that apartment, that's what's happening,"

"Yeah I thought that too, he hardly goes out given the restriction Shishou placed on him,"

Ino then got down on her knees and placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "For the love of God, Sakura, you need to take advantage of this,"

"I am not taking advantage of Sasuke in this state,"

"No seriously, Sasuke's not the type to start thing with insincerity," Ino began and lightly shook her best friend. "For all of woman-kind, please get out of this rut and go for it,"

Sakura laughed, and guessed Ino was right. Sasuke wouldn't begin something like that without there being any meaning at all. She thought of all the times he'd watched her with heavy lidded eyes, his face baring hidden meanings that she was too nervous to accept.

"Tell you what, do a test tonight," Ino began and then took a swig from the sake bottle. "Go to him and see how he reacts if you don't sleep with him,"

Ino passed the bottle to Sakura, who took a hefty long swig. "I don't want to lead him on under false premises; I just don't want my heart broken again, it's still up in the air, he could break free from those binds and run away,"

Ino watched her friend, considering. She didn't want Sakura hurt, but she thought she was making a huge deal out of something that shouldn't be engulfed by fear and doubt. Sasuke was here to stay, that much was obvious.

"He'd be dead before he got through the window; those ANBU would be on him like a rash, I don't think you need to worry about that so much,"

Ino wanted to be there for her friend as much as she could, and Sasuke was giving Sakura an open invitation to his heart. She'd be damned if it didn't happen.

"Sasuke's such a difficult person, but I'll do as you say I guess," Sakura conceded, despite feeling slightly anxious. "I don't know how he'll react, but I think you're right,"

"Just let me flirt with him, just a little tincy-wincy bit?" Ino grinned, and Skaura laughed.

* * *

Over at Sasuke and Naruto's flat, everyone was in good spirits. They had been drinking for a while now, but even as the night's frivolities wore on, Sasuke was not in the most sociable of moods. Kiba was joking around, standing in the middle of the group as he balanced a shot glass on his forehead until it tumbled to the floor, the contents spilling everywhere. The urge to clean after them all was itching at Sasuke's fingers.

They were all laughing and joking, but Sasuke still felt like he was on the sidelines, like the inner-sanctum of their friendship was beyond a pane of impenetrable glass he could only look through and watch. The music was booming loud, and he joined Shikamaru outside for a cigarette.

"If Sakura knew you smoked, she would have your balls on a platter," Shikamaru told him, and inhaled a long toke.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Sasuke replied with warning.

"How's life going at the moment, you settling back in and stuff?"

Sasuke cringed at how awkward he sounded, knowing full well that Sasuke was bored shitless every hour of the day. Everyone seemed to view him so differently now, no quiet awe or no one looking up to him. It was like they saw him for he who he truly was, and not what they had thought he was.

Sasuke took a drag, and then expelled the smoke. "I do piss all, Kakashi's meant to be training with me again, but Tsunade's having trouble pushing that through with the other Kage,"

Shikamaru looked confused. "But you won't have control over your chakra,"

"I know," But then again, he did take all five of them on, destroyed a lot of the building and murder a couple of guards. He'd even been prepared to run-through the Kage as well. "But they're worried I might get ideas, you know just _breathing_ seems to be a contentious issue to them,"

"Well don't give them anything else to complain about," Shikamaru said, and stubbed the cigarette out. "See you in there,"

Shikamaru slinked away, and Sasuke was left on his own watching the Sun creep lower and lower past the rooftops. The cigarette in his hand burned as he viewed the light steadily dimming against a moon visible in the violet sky. Someone smashed something, and there was laughter from inside the apartment. He didn't turn to look, he felt quite disinterested, really. He just carried on smoking the cigarette as the thought of going back inside was nerve wracking. He never realised how tough it would be to integrate back into normalcy, how the people he once called friends treated him like an enemy.

"Sasuke, stop being a fucking loner!" Naruto careened out the patio doors, and mock coughed at him. "Blackening your lungs as well, I see,"

"I won't be long," He said and turned away from Naruto.

"Come in we've got food and beer, and the girls are coming over in about thirty minutes, go make yourself look presentable,"

"I'm always presentable,"

"Please for the love of ramen, at least brush your damn hair,"

"It does this naturally!" Sasuke smoothed through his hair, to demonstrate how his head of hair defied gravity.

"Witchcraft!" Naruto exclaimed and grinned.

"If we can run up walls and stand upside-down on ceilings then my hair can damn well be as messy as I want it," Sasuke sucked furiously on the cigarette, and stubbed it out before coming back inside.

There was knocking at the door, and someone entered. It happened to be Kakashi, calling round with beer and Tenzou, who didn't look particularly ecstatic.

"Thought I'd come round and supervise, with gifts of course," Kakashi said well naturedly.

"Kaka-sensei, you shouldn't have," Naruto cried, and grabbed the beer. "Does this mean we finally get to see your face?"

"Why would I do something as silly as that?" Kakashi replied and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You guys never know when to give up,"

"Don't lie, you love it,"

"Well, this _could _be the night,"

"You said the same thing last time you went with me and Sakura-chan for ramen, and you ended up eating none of it and disappeared when it was time to get the bill,"

"Oh did I...?" Kakashi rubbed his chin, his eye looking as dozy as ever. He then turned his attention to Sasuke who was drinking faster than he'd ever seen him drink before. "Steady on you,"

The other people in the room then turned to Sasuke, who in turn made a face.

"Why are you really here?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He didn't look particularly welcoming.

"Must a teacher have any reason to dote on his beloved students?" Kakashi lied through his teeth, and Sasuke just shook his head and guessed he was here because of him.

"So don't mind us kids, we'll just sit in the corner,"

Everyone cottoned on to what was happening, but were quick to recover the party atmosphere. Sasuke watched as they danced like idiots, the only person not dancing and laughing was Shino. He was sat next to Sasuke on the sofa, keeping himself to himself.

"Who's going to pass out first?" He asked Sasuke, and already sounded tired to the Uchiha's ears.

"Kiba," They both nodded in agreement, watching him as he tousled about to the music with all the rhythm of a crab with a missing leg.

"The only reason I'm here is that I promised his sister I'd make sure he gets home," Shino continued, and Sasuke wondered if he would be doing the same for Naruto. "You're lucky Naruto recovers so fast, Kiba tries to keep up with him, but he's not a Jinchuuriki of course,"

_Well, that answers that question._ Sasuke then thought, with the rate of his drinking it would be Naruto taking him home instead. He wasn't very happy about the idea, but it didn't bother him as much as he thought it might.

* * *

Sakura, Ino and Hinata raced through the streets, the latter of the three girls hindered by her cream and gold yukata. By this time both Ino and Sakura had quite a lot to drink and were definitely in the party mood. In Konoha, people lined the streets and there were hundreds of stalls offering giant cuddly toys as prizes and goldfish in plastic bags. They bumped into a few people, mainly fellow medic-nin, grinning ear-to-ear as they raced past.

"I'm going to fall over, Ino!" Sakura cried, having not quite mastered the art of running in heels yet.

"Just take them off," She said, and made sure Hinata was still with them. "We're like ages late as it is,"

"You guys are insane," Hinata said, the run making her cheeks flush. "Can't we just walk from here? It's not far away,"

"They'll expect us to be late anyways," Sakura agreed, and Ino conceded.

They walked, jostling through the crowds as waves of people took to the streets. Wishes hung from the trees by bamboo as already people began to celebrate. Every tree seemed to be covered; all wishes a hundred different colours. It would look simply beautiful in the lamplight. They hurried to Naruto's place and as they gathered themselves outside the apartment building. They could hear the musical cacophony from within.

They rushed up the stairs and knocked on the door. When Naruto opened it, he bowed as theatrically as possible, already made silly by his beers.

"Girls!" He cried, and hugged Sakura. "We thought you got kidnapped, where've you been?"

"Just getting ready," Ino said whist Naruto hugged Sakura.

"But you're all so beautiful anyway, especially Hinata-chan," Naruto moved to Hinata who blushed beetroot.

"Never ask a woman why she took so long, just be happy she turned up," Ino chided.

"Ooh you bitch," Naruto grinned and the two blonds exchanged jokes. Sakura laughed and began walking about the room. She spoke to Shikamaru and Chouji, and waved to Kakashi.

"What's he doing here?" She asked them and they pointed to the boy outside. Sasuke was sitting outside, cigarette in hand, watching the last of the violet sunset.

"I'm guessing they're here for him," Shikamaru said, and Chouji agreed with a nod. "You know, just in case something happens,"

"Something hasn't happened for months," Sakura said, and she felt angry that they didn't trust him.

"I think they're here on their own accord,"

Sakura said thanks and waltzed up to Kakashi and Tenzou (who looked so bored he was beginning to make her bored). She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed them with a pointed stare she'd learned from spending years under Tsunade's tutelage.

"What are you doing here?" She asked crisply, and Kakashi avoided her gaze.

"Happy Tanabata to you too, Sakura,"

"You're being a nuisance, you're not helping him," She said, as hushed as she could although the anger was rising. "Look at him! He's _smoking,"_

"So...?"

"He doesn't smoke unless he's really stressed. Just give him this one night, please, nothing bad will happen,"

Kakashi appeared to genuinely consider what she said, but he would not be moved.

"I remember when I thought the same thing over three years ago, and that ended with him running off with a psychopathic lunatic who's messed him up, whilst leaving Naruto for dead alone in the dirt," He said as quietly as he could. "He's still fragile, anything could happen,"

"Please, Kaka-sensei, go somewhere else, just give him this one night, I can assure you nothing bad will happen," Sakura promised with all her heart, and Kakashi could see she wasn't going to give up on Sasuke. "If anything, this will give him the confidence boost he needs,"

"You know, he still hasn't told Tsunade anything,"

"That's confidential,"

"What he tells her is confidential, what he doesn't tell her isn't," Kakashi said resolutely, and opened his book, actively ignoring Sakura.

"Kaka-sensei, I will not be moved, I think you should leave. You're not enjoying yourself and neither is Yamato-taichou," Sakura kept her gaze pointedly at the eye staring down at Ichia Icha, until he relented and turned his face towards hers.

He sighed. "Well, I'm not going to get past you am I?" He stood up, and Tenzou noticeably brightened at the possibility of leaving. "Remember Sakura, anything that happens will be on your conscience," He said like a man who knew the burden of such things like an old, vicious enemy. "I leave him to you,"

Sakura smiled, happy that she'd won the altercation. Kakashi went to leave, and said goodbye to Naruto, and Sasuke, who was about to come back inside and said goodbye midway through the glass doors.

"You're leaving, but you've only just got here?" Sasuke seemed confused. Kakashi said nothing, and pointed to Sakura, who looked very pleased with herself. As he locked eyes with her, all the worry in the world was ripped from him in that moment. All that mattered was Sakura, and her bright eyes watching him with a smile on her face.

* * *

"If we don't leave in a minute, I swear me and Sakura will rock the stalls together," Ino said, and began shuffling people about, trying to get them moving. All the boys were now balancing shot glasses on their foreheads, even Sasuke. The absence of Kakashi and Tenzou made him feel more secure, and the alcohol coursing through his veins was lowering his inhibitions.

Sakura and Hinata were chatting and giggling, whilst Ino was attempting to get the boys moving rather than messing about. She managed to dislodge Kiba who was soon to be reaching his record.

"Fucking hell Ino," He cursed, but Ino flicked him on the nose.

"You've been at this for hours; it's dark now and we're going to miss the fireworks,"

Kiba's face changed suddenly, and he began rushing around. "Fireworks!"

Sasuke turned around and grabbed his shot, then downed it and shook off the sensation the sharp alcohol wracked through his body. The others seemed to snap out of their idiocy and drank up.

"Let's go and watch them at the top of the Hokage monument!" Kiba announced and rushed to the door to put his shoes on. The others followed suit, but Sasuke sought out Sakura. She looked so stunning, with her hair and sultry make-up. He smiled as she stood up, and Hinata moved away, seeking out Naruto.

"Ready for your wishes?" He asked, and Sakura smiled. She stood up on her heels, and Sasuke noted the height difference. They were almost nose to nose.

"You going to win me some stuffed animals?" She asked, still smiling. "I'm surprised you can see straight,"

"I can see fine, and I'll win you some goldfish too," Sasuke said, and extended his hand to smooth her face. Sakura blushed, as she always did when he touched her. He would always seek her out, his eyes always drawn to her whenever she walked into the room.

She cast away her insecurities and tilted her face to his touch. Little known to either of them, Ino was watching from the other side of the room, open-mouthed and egging her friend on inside. The others looked and grinned as well.

Kiba cat-called, and then wolf-whistled. "Get a bloody room!"

Sakura blushed again and Sasuke turned, looking very happy with himself. The room erupted into fits of giggles. Everyone was rosy-cheeked and silly, even Sai who couldn't help himself. They all felt free, and on top of the world, like they could go anywhere and have all their dreams come true. Sai toppled as he tried to put on his shoes, and the giggles came louder.

After more laughs and jokes, the group walked out into the bustling streets. Sasuke slightly daunted by the number of other people, his anxiety flared. He hadn't been out those walls for so long without an escort, and freedom suddenly felt like such an intimidating idea. He looped an arm around Sakura, holding her closer and the warmth she emanating stilled his heart into stable submission. His anxiety dissipated, and he felt so calm.

It wasn't long before the group came to one of the trees people had strapped their wishes to, and began to write their own. Sasuke took the piece of coloured bamboo, and began writing his wish. He hadn't been to a festival in years, having avoided them when he was younger. He was at a loss as to what to write, he had so many things he wished for, and they seemed to flood his mind. Sakura peered up at him, and then attached her own wish to the tree. She noted the way he stood, the tension in his shoulders. He knew not what to wish for.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" She asked, worry knitting her brow.

Sasuke shook his head, and looked at her. He knew what he wished for, and wrote it down quickly on the bamboo wish and then hung it to the tree. He smiled reassuringly down at Sakura, who seemed satisfied that he was feeling all right, that he was coming out of his comfort zone into the busy streets. She took his hand, looping her fingers with his.

Sasuke looked down, and smiled softly, until he could hear Ino in the distance.

"Come on, the fireworks are in a half an hour, we've gotta get up there but Sasuke doesn't have chakra so it'll have to be the long way," She called, and the others quickly followed. Sasuke wanted to go to one of the shop stalls to win Sakura some goldfish, but he guessed that would have to happen later. Not many of them could really use their chakra properly anyway, so they'd have to walk up the cliff the long way.

They made their way; Sasuke had moved his hand to curl against Sakura's side, holding her to him. She explained to him how Ino was debating whether to get with Kiba, or try her wears on Sai, who was generally stone cold clueless whenever she tried to flirt with him.

"She's calls him The Brick Wall," Sakura laughed and Sasuke harrumphed. "I've seen her do it, he doesn't know what to do with himself,"

"Ino was flirting with me earlier," Sasuke said, remembering the way she curled her hair around her finger as she smiled and ask him how he was holding up.

Sakura grinned. "Oh yeah, she mentioned that. She just wanted to see how you'd react,"

"I didn't react, she looked disappointed,"

"Don't worry, she won't do it again, I told her about us," Sakura replied, and she felt the heat rise as she referred to whatever their little relationship was with the words "us". Sasuke smirked to himself, knowing he had her.

"I promise to win you some goldfish," Sasuke said, and Sakura glanced up. She allowed Sasuke to peck her on the lips and they both smiled to themselves. Sasuke preferred Sakura to stay with him, as he looked around and saw numerous faces turn to him in disgust. People recognised him, their every pore filled with hatred as he walked down the road. He felt the paranoia make him sick to his stomach and tried to ignore all the hundreds of piercing eyes.

Sakura noticed this too, and showed her warning to anyone who looked at them with the slightest malice with an angry, sharp stare. The night had turned out brilliantly so far, and she wouldn't let any of those judgmental bastards get to Sasuke. As far as she was concerned, she'd fight them to the death for Sasuke's sanity.

As they made their way up the sharp walkways along the road to the top of the Hokage monument, the streets became less flooded, and Sasuke relaxed. They hurried to the top, Kiba already teetering slightly and careening this way and that as he attempted to walk in a straight line. Everyone laughed as he tripped over his own feet, and helped him up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," He slurred, and he really wasn't, but at least he had two medic nins to take care of him once they got to the top. No matter how drunk they were, Sakura and Ino could generally look after themselves, and forcefully become sober if they needed to be.

When they ambled to the top, everyone sat in a circle, except Kiba who needed to lie down. Ino told Sakura she'd look after him, and began to use her medical chakra to sober him up slightly. The others sat together on the grass and began drinking again. They had two bottles of sake left, so began polishing that off. Shikamaru began smoking a cigarette and Sasuke asked if he could have one to, much to Sakura's annoyance. Lee had already left to meet up with his teammates. Naruto had a hand looped over Hinata, who he thought looked extra pretty in her cream yukata. Sai was looking a little worse for wear but was enjoying himself, whilst Shino was reticent, hoping like hell that he wouldn't have to chaperone Kiba home, and Chouji was munching some yakisoba he'd bought on the way. Kiba and Ino soon came back to the circle, Kiba ready to fight another round, though seemed especially interested in Ino. He drank more carefully, more aware of how lucky he might get if he played his cards right.

They began playing a drinking game with a pack of cards Shikamaru brought with him. The wind at the top was virtually nil, the summer humidity sat in the air like a gossamer blanket. The night sky was vast and full of twinkling stars spread like diamonds dipped against the darkness of night. The fireworks would begin any minute, so they rushed with their drinking game. Sasuke unfortunately picked the last king, so had to down a colossal amount of sake in as little gulps as possible.

Sakura began to worry as everyone began to egg him on. They chanted his name as he drank the huge amount in one. It hit him quickly, and Sasuke's head began to spin, but he smiled with pride. Sakura felt his hand tighten at her hips as she applied more lip gloss, watching his face slowly turn into a drunken smile. She knew after that he'd barely be able to move anymore, and so was thankful they'd come up here before. She doubted he'd be able to win her those goldfish, but was happy they seemed so natural together, like his hand fitted her perfectly, that the heat from his body kept her warm. She was filled with love for him, giddy not just from the alcohol. She was grinning because of so many things, for how Sasuke seemed to be doing with the others, how everyone else began to warm to him again.

"They're doing it!" Ino shouted with glee and suddenly a profusion of rockets whizzed through the air, and exploded in shimmering reds and gold. She opened her purse and drew out some sparklers and lit them with Shikamaru's lighter. She jumped up began laughing in merriment as each firework zoomed through the sky and burst in a cacophony of booms and whistles.

It was beautiful, and the others watched in awe and delight as the sky lit up in a cornucopia of colours and lights. Ino was ecstatic, laughing and dancing about with Kiba as joined her.

As the fireworks reached their climax, the group began to make a move back down the hill. Sasuke was steaming drunk, but focused on winning Sakura those goldfish. Unfortunately he could barely walk properly, and Sakura was steering him through the streets and past people. The others were laughing at him, as he was grinning like an idiot.

They soon stopped at a stall, and the man who ran gave them a warning look, seeing how drunk they were.

"I would like to win some goldfish," Sasuke announced, and the others giggled. The man gave him a glowering look, but took his money in exchange for some darts. Surprisingly, Sasuke's throwing skills were not as hindered as the others thought and he scored enough to win the prized goldfish.

"Have a good one, kids, don't kill 'em too quick," The man in the stall said, and handed Sasuke the fish. He gave them to Sakura and he wasn't quite sure he could be trusted to keep them out of harm's way.

"I think we better leave," Sasuke whispered to Sakura, who agreed. They said goodbye to everyone and went on their way, Sasuke leaning onto Sakura slightly, his head spinning and lolling somewhat. They swiftly made their way through the streets and were quickly back at the apartment. Sakura whipped out her key and let them in, Sasuke's hands smoothing all over her, making her blush and giggle. He brushed his lips against her cheek and whispered silly things in her ear, making Sakura grin.

They half fell through the door, laughing. Sakura quickly turned on the lights and placed the goldfish in the sink, their temporary home until they could buy a filter and a bowl.

Sasuke came behind her and placed his hands on her hips. "What are we going to call them?"

"Well, I don't know much about fish, but I think they both look like boys," Sakura replied and arched herself into his touch. "I think I'm going to call them Sasuke and Naruto,"

"I was thinking the especially ugly one could be called Sai,"

"That's really mean, you can be that one then,"

Sasuke feigned distress. "You think I'm the ugly one?"

Sakura grinned. "Of course I don't, but he can represent your bitchy personality,"

"Fine then, I'll be the monstrously deformed one," He slurred and hiccupped, to which Sakura laughed and turned around. She looped her arms around his neck and went on her tiptoes to kiss him. Sasuke responded eagerly and kissed her deeply, his hand travelling towards her bump and picking her up. With the fish safe and swimming around the sink, Sasuke took her to his room. He was kissing her neck as he lowered her onto the bed. Sakura kissed him furiously, ignoring the fact he tasted like alcohol. His hands roamed along her legs as his lips trailed along her collarbone, until he suddenly stopped his attention and seemed to weight her to the bed.

"Sasuke?" Sakura called his name and realised he'd passed out on top of her. Sakura shook her head slightly, but pushed him off her. She got him up and removed his top and trousers, leaving him in his boxers. She managed with the use of her chakra get him in bed. She then removed her dress, and jumped in with him, sighing as she felt his arms encompass her, his breath tingling against the back of her neck.

Soon, she was lulled to sleep by his steady breathing. In the distance, Konoha was a loud and bustling brute of a Village, but she felt safe and secure enough to fall asleep in his shapely arms.

* * *

That's it for Chapter Four, please R&R and if you drink, remember to drink responsibly. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the wait, I was extra busy, the next will be a lot quicker I promise!

* * *

**Cracks**

**Chapter Five**

* * *

The night was heady with the end of summer drawing near. The moonlight cast the quiet streets of Konohagakure in a pale, silvery glow, and turned the Nakano River into a silken length of gleaming water. The streets were no longer filled with the raucous laughter and shouts of eager revellers, but there were still a couple of stragglers awake at the witching hour. Their voices sang through the heavy silence, and the sudden crash of a glass bottle reverberated through the stillness.

Haruno Sakura jumped awake as the bottle connected with the ground. Her tuned senses alerted her to the noise, and she groggily directed her gaze around the room, listening for more sounds. She sat up, but the arm cast across her middle held her firm and encouraged her to lie back down. Having been trained to such alertness, she often found herself waking to tiny, minuscule noises in the night. However she quickly gained her faculties and smirked into the darkness, happy to note the sleeping Sasuke by her side. She had momentarily forgotten where she was, but Sasuke's even breathing brought back the incidents of the night before. Being a medic nin, she had already eradicated any traces of alcohol left in her system, but Sasuke was a different matter. He was out like a light, and wouldn't be functioning any time soon.

The moonlight shone across his sleeping face, as neither had drawn the curtains. Sakura watched him with a smile, her eyes roaming about his features as he lay undeterred from sleep. She extended a hand and brushed it across his cheek soothingly, and was rewarded with a sigh from Sasuke. She let herself explore him, feeling his warmth up against hers. He was truly a marvel to behold, with smooth skin and high cheekbones and luscious lips. He was leaving his boyhood and the marks of the man he would become were shining through. He looked so peaceful, even cherubic as he slept unhindered.

But Sakura was worried, and the anxiety would never truly leave. What if he changed his mind in the years to come and leave again, when he had the full capacity of his chakra at his fingertips? What if he left them again, what if he _betrayed _them again? What if he left her waiting once more? He wasn't truly off-the-hook until Tsunade said so, what if enemies came at them in the middle of the night? Sakura knew they could never go to war over his sake.

These thoughts would forever haunt Sakura, just as she knew the possibilities would forever cross Sasuke's mind, a temptation to run as rife as the talent coursing through his veins. When the use of his chakra was returned to him would Sasuke fight his urges and stay within the Village no matter what?

She knew she'd never have the answer, that Sasuke could be as fickle as autumn skies, and these anxieties would keep her up most of the night, and even haunt her dreams.

* * *

Kakashi lit the joint and inhaled, feeling the smoke fill his lungs. He was sat with Tenzou by the water towers atop the hospital, gazing up at the starry sky. They had stuck to smoking instead of drinking, and were some of the last to stay out that Tanabata. Since joining Team Seven, Tenzou spent more time with his sempai and the two had become close.

"You're an idiot to trust that kid," Tenzou muttered. Of course he hadn't wished to stay with a bunch of teenagers for the festival, but it was still the first time Sasuke had been allowed any freedom. Anything could have happened, even something that wasn't his fault. A drunken, angry Villager could have started an altercation, or even another ninja.

"I don't trust him, but I do trust Naruto and Sakura," Kakashi replied as he exhaled and handed the spliff to Tenzou.

"They're still children, and you know how stupid kids are. Remember when we were younger?" Tenzou said, he'd been in a pretty shit mood the entire night but Kakashi didn't seem to care.

"Yes, but like us they are still shinobi," Kakashi replied. "And there's something infectious about Naruto and his sensibilities, I'm sure that's what brought Sasuke back,"

"You know people are going to start betting on the reason he came back,"

"You think he's ever going to admit anything? Take it from me, Sasuke still has his pride and he'll hold onto it and never let go like Pakkun with a ragger," Kakashi began to roll another spliff, feeling the night was wearing on a little too long. "Whatever made his mind suddenly realise he wanted to come back here, given how the Village played a part in his family's death, will forever, I bet you, will remain a mystery,"

"You think he'll never admit it?"

"Of course he won't, and certainly not to the Hokage," Kakashi gave a slight laugh. He couldn't imagine either being able to stomach staying in the same room, talking about things Sasuke found deeply unsettling.

"Those two, like bloody chalk and cheese," Tenzou agreed and inhaled deeply. "What do you say we make a move in a minute?"

"You've got a mission tomorrow?" Kakashi asked, and sparked up the roll he had just made.

"Yeah, pretty standard escort mission, nothing too strenuous but I'll tell you now I'm going to be bored out of my skull,"

"Good money though," Kakashi stated and Tenzou gave him a suspicious, sideways look.

"Like you care about money, you rarely spend anything if you can avoid it," Tenzou stated and looked aghast. "You're the cheapest person I know,"

"I'll leave a great inheritance when I die," Kakashi said, and took a drag.

"You have no one to leave anything to, and I can't see you getting married anytime soon,"

"There's always Ayame at Ichiraku Ramen,"

"Is that what you wished for this Tanabata?"

"Oh how did you guess?" Kakashi joked and looked up at the moon. It was full, bright globe against the starry darkness. "Anyway, I'm taking watch over Sasuke tomorrow so I best be up early,"

"I doubt he'll be rising before noon," Tenzou scoffed and stood up as Kakashi rose too.

"He has appointment with the Hokage, an important one,"

"Shall I place my bet then?"

"I wouldn't hold your breath, if I was you," Kakashi said, then Tenzou left, half the spliff still smoking in his hand. Kakashi made his way along the streets, until an idea piqued his interest. He was near Naruto's apartment and decided to be nosy and see what they were up to. He crept up along the outer wall and looked though the window, the curtains much to his amusement weren't drawn. He looked through and saw something he found particularly interesting. Sakura was wrapped in Sasuke's arms; both sleeping soundly as he noiselessly watched them. He figured as much would happen, but not this quickly. With a raised eyebrow and smirk Kakashi slipped away back into the night.

* * *

"Naruto!" Sakura called from the bathroom as Sasuke retched into the toilet basin. "I need more towels!"

Naruto was leaning on the doorframe, barely awake as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He'd been hazily gawping at a particular spot on the wall as Sakura barked at him.

"Now Naruto!" She growled at him and hesitantly Naruto complied. He backed away from the wall and struggled to remember just where that elusive airing cupboard was.

"I'll get some water," Hinata announced as Sasuke continued to retch violently in the toilet.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just let me sort it out first," Sakura stated as Sasuke gripped the rim.

Sasuke, not one to cave in when his pride was concerned gave Sakura a seething look as he retched his guts out. He'd maintained he was fine until a couple of minutes ago when his stomach seemed to become his worst enemy. Now he had Sakura and Hinata both mothering him, and he was feeling like shit.

"At least let me help you once this is over," Sakura said, and with a nod Sasuke conceded. He couldn't stand having the girls baby him, but in his weakened state he was unable to heed their relentless assault. As the last of his retching subsided, he allowed Sakura's healing chakra to seep into his skin and make his hangover go away. Within seconds he felt better and for that he was grateful to Sakura. Forgetting he'd just hacked up his lungs he bent to kiss Sakura on the mouth. She turned her head away.

"Brush your teeth first," She said with a slight laugh and Sasuke smirked as she blushed. After she was finished Sasuke proceeded to do just that. A knock came at the door and as Sasuke entered the living room Kakashi walked in, looking as dozy as ever.

"Have a good night?" He asked Sasuke, and the Uchiha nodded. It had been a good night, and despite how awful he had felt when waking up, having Sakura lying next to him had been a wondrous bonus. Especially the fact she had been in her underwear.

"When do we need to leave?" He asked and Kakashi indicated it would be soon. The Jounin then went outside on the porch to talk to the ANBU members stationed on the balcony.

Sakura and Hinata had been making food, and Sasuke went to sit next to Naruto, who was still half-asleep as he drank his sugary tea.

"What's the matter with you?" Sasuke asked, scathingly as Naruto very rarely had hangovers. "You look like shit,"

"You should know I don't usually get up this early, but thanks to you not being able to handle alcohol, here I am,"

"Jovial this morning, aren't you?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Don't act like you're a ray of sunshine, Sasuke," Naruto said and buried his head in his hands. "What time you gotta see Tsunade-baa-chan?"

"After breakfast," Sasuke said, although the thought of actually having to talk in one of their meetings made his stomach churn again.

"Christ, you're not going to throw up again are you?" Naruto asked and leaned away from Sasuke. "You just went ashen,"

"Shut up, idiot,"

"Does she fill you with fear?" Naruto goaded. "You've just gotta know how to handle her,"

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Sasuke said and flashed Naruto a sideways warning glance.

"And you're not as cold as you pretend to be,"

Hinata and Sakura then appeared from the kitchen with food and both boys eagerly began to tuck in.

"Sasuke hurry up," Kakashi called through the door.

"Pot-kettle-black comes to mind Kakashi!" Sasuke snapped back tritely. He would finish his food when he wanted to. As soon as he finished his breakfast, Sasuke went to get changed. He came back in and pecked Sakura on the cheek and Naruto flashed him a knowing grin.

"Shut your mouth, idiot,"

"We'll see you later Sasuke, hope everything goes okay," Sakura said, but he knew from her worrisome look she guessed Sasuke wouldn't handle talking about things well. What he said or didn't say was confidential, so Sasuke often wondered why everyone threw him a cursory worried glance whenever he went to Tsunade's.

"Come on then," Kakashi said and stepped into the room. Sasuke said goodbye to everyone and left

* * *

Sasuke really didn't want to leave the safety of the flat, and his head began to spin as he walked with Kakashi and the ANBU guard assigned to him. He truly with all his heart didn't want to go see Tsunade today, but there was no getting out of it, no matter how much he wished the ground would swallow him up.

But, in reality, he couldn't spend the day lazing around the flat; he had to be dragged into the office of Senjuu Tsunade, so they could talk. Sasuke hadn't mentally prepared himself, he wanted to push all that away, to start over and forget things happened the way they did. Just as he was beginning to feel like the worst of it was over, he was being dragged into a conversation he didn't want, couldn't stand. He felt panic rise in his chest as he deliberated on what he should say, what he should do. His talks with Tsunade had been fruitless so far, but he knew he couldn't hold back forever, he'd actually have to start talking about things if anything were to ever change.

His prescience still garnered a great deal of attention. People would watch him with distrust as he walked down the street, their eyes boring into the back of his shoulder blades as he made his quiet way. He began to feel what it was like for Naruto, what it was like to be considered a monster. He knew the ethics of their job was a contentious issue, but the things he had done earned him the scorn of the Village and their society as a whole.

Soon he was at the hospital and was travelling along a remembered route. He brushed a hand through his hair as he neared the office, he was feeling nervous, and his mind suddenly became awash with a million different things that made his anxiety flare. He had grown to admire Tsunade, despite his reluctance to answer her questions. She was like Naruto, never one to give up when there's still a fighting chance.

He turned the corner and saw her waiting for him.

"Leave us," Tsunade ordered and the two ANBU dispersed in a cloud of bluish smoke. Kakashi nodded to him, and then also made his way out a hospital window. The smoke seemed to settle as a haze between them, and Tsunade flashed Sasuke a pointed look. "In you come, Uchiha,"

Sasuke quickly nipped through the door and sat on the chair. He placed his hands on the desk, not sure what to do with himself. He felt like the room was becoming smaller, hemming him in. There was no escape from the present, and he suddenly felt as if Tsunade's gaze was too much for him to endure.

"So, Sasuke, it's time for you to talk to me," Tsunade said, and rearranged the documents on her desk. A dark silence took over the room as Tsunade gazed into Sasuke's eyes. "I won't stand for that infamous silent treatment; this is part of our deal, Sasuke,"

"I know," Sasuke seethed, anxiety morphing into anger as he met her stare. He was frustrated; the words seemed to disappear as soon as he wished to voice them.

"Well, I'll begin anyway by asking you how last night went," Tsunade said, attempting to lull him into talking about something he wasn't agitated by. "Dare I ask how it was?"

"It was fine," Sasuke snapped, his frustration apparent.

"Not too hung-over, I see. I'm sure Sakura sorted you out this morning, yes?"

He gave a nod, but stared at the wall. He felt so tense, like he was wound up as tight as a piano wire. Tsunade noted his stiff shoulders, the way his breathing became harsher. She could tell he was irritated, that the words never seemed quite right.

"You're angry Sasuke, what's making you so angry?" Tsunade said her brow knitted together. Her voice was softer, more motherly.

"I... I'm angry about Itachi," Sasuke started and as the words spilled from his mouth. A weight lifted from his shoulders, and he quivered slightly.

Tsunade watched him with concern. He looked defeated, as if he'd been broken. She knew she'd be treading on eggshells with anything that concerned Itachi.

"What is it about Itachi makes you so angry?"

"I..." Sasuke began but his face faltered, his expression was quizzical as if he couldn't quite understand the situation himself. "I'm angry that he suffered, but I'm also angry that he was ever forced to choose between his family and the Village,"

Tsunade observed how Sasuke forced the words from his mouth, the way it seemed to tear him apart by just thinking those troubling thoughts.

"Danzou was most probably the instigator, we can't be sure but he possessed Shisui's eye," Tsunade stated. "And besides if you didn't ring his neck first I would have done,"

"I killed him, and it was the happiest I've ever been," Sasuke said, though his face darkened. "And then I couldn't stop, I saw everyone as an enemy,"

"When you met Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi?"

Sasuke nodded. "I was out of control,"

"You were manic, vengeance is something our kind knows all too well," Tsunade said, but Sasuke looked morose.

"I tried to kill them, I wanted to kill them," He stared at the wall, the rush of guilt making him feel nauseous. "Because they were part of Konoha,"

"What made you come back?" Tsunade asked, she appeared a little confused. "If you hate Konoha so much what made you come back?"

"I came back... on a whim," He began, and the memories of what had happened before flooded back to him. "I wanted to kill Madara, as he also perpetrated my family's massacre, I didn't trust him but I was... confused,"

"You were confused?"

"I couldn't trust anyone, but when I fought Naruto, I realised I didn't want to be alone anymore, and that Team Seven were some of the happiest times of my life," Sasuke said, but paused, his brow creased in thought. "It was a mere change of face, of despair, but Naruto was still so open, so persistent,"

Tsunade smiled knowingly. "He finally got to you?"

Sasuke didn't wish to admit, but it was true. His thoughts at that time were so confused and hectic he could scarcely remember them properly.

"I just wanted to have a family again, although no one will ever replace the one I lost... I was scared I wouldn't be able to do my duty to them if I stayed with the Leaf, but I avenged them with the fall of Madara,"

"You did well, Sasuke," Tsunade said, and sipped the tea that had been steaming next to her. "It took you a long time to see sense, but you came through thanks to Naruto,"

"But I'm still so angry," Sasuke said, with defeat. "And I just don't think it'll ever be the same, Team Seven will never be what it was,"

"No, but you can stick to it and make it into something more," Tsunade said, and Sasuke flashed her a sceptical glance. "I'm serious, despite it sounding too saccharine an ideal, you're still young and I've kept the other Kage from collecting your head. You're supremely talented, a true asset to our Village, and I know a couple of idiots who are so happy you're back with them, and semi-sane,"

"But too much has happened, I see it in their eyes. They can never look at me the same way again," Sasuke said, and he appeared to dangle on the precipice of despair.

"Things will get better; soon you'll be able to integrate back into normal society," Tsunade said, but she viewed his morose state with concern. "I'm going to prescribe you an anti-depressant for a short term solution to these depressed feelings,"

"I don't need anti-depressants," Sasuke scoffed.

"It'll help you feelings of guilt and lethargy," Tsunade reassured him. "Besides it's only for a short term basis,"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he accepted. He didn't really have a choice.

"You've done well today," Tsunade said, and smiled warmly. "I hope our next appointment will be equally fruitful,"

Sasuke sat back, he felt exhausted and he frowned.

"Shouldn't we talk for longer?" Sasuke asked, perplexed.

"Do you want to talk for longer?"Tsunade asked, slightly amused.

"Not really," Sasuke agreed. He felt like someone had smacked him very hard in the face.

"You've talked to me, and told you why you came back," Tsunade said. "You've made some decent headway and I want you to slowly be able to make sense of all that's happened, pushing you into talking about things too much is putting pressure on you, and I don't want you to feel exhausted,"

Sasuke nodded in agreement, as Tsunade began to write him a prescription.

"Sakura will give you these later," Tsunade said and looked Sasuke over with a mothering look. Sasuke sighed, having already seen that same worried look on Sakura's face earlier this morning. "In our profession, shinobi generally go through bad patches, you'll find that in a month or so you'll be feeling much better,"

Sasuke sat with his hands on his knees, taking everything in. His head spun and he felt slightly faint with the myriad of feelings he tried to make sense of, to run through his mind. He felt like he needed a drink, though he knew that was a dangerous path to take. He watched Tsunade as she wrote down some notes.

"Just remember that everything you say is confidential, unless I think you're going to harm yourself or someone else,"

"Does Sai count?"

"Was that a joke?" Tsunade's lips curved slightly.

"No,"

"Go on, get out and enjoy the rest of the day," Tsunade shook her head and kept back a small scoff.

Sasuke stood up and left the room without a goodbye, which was something Tsunade had become used to. She knew Sasuke had been brought up with better manners than that, but she had grown used to his general rudeness. He found Kakashi stood against the wall outside and gave him a curt nod.

"Everything go alright?"

_No. _Sasuke felt like he wanted to curl up into a little ball in a darkened corner.

"I was thinking as it's such a pleasant day you could do with some exercise,"

Sasuke immediately looked up, his demeanour suddenly brightening at the thought of training. He'd enjoyed his training sessions with Kakashi when he was just a boy, and the thought of getting out of the flat made the fire ignite in his belly.

"Fancy a sparring match, I won't cheat and use my chakra," Kakashi noted the way Sasuke's face lit up at the thought of being able to train freely again.

Sasuke nodded in agreement and both men began making their way towards the training grounds. Sasuke had walk through the usual stares of distrust and suspicious malcontent as they headed through the centre of Konoha. No matter how many times he did that, Sasuke still couldn't quite shake off the feelings of murderous intent from fellow citizens. He hoped it would get better, and with a sense of rarely found optimism he thought just that and felt his anxiety lessen. He'd talked, and although he felt like he'd told Tsunade too much, he felt surprisingly better, like he wasn't alone with his most troublesome thoughts anymore.

As they came to training grounds Sasuke and Kakashi began their session. Kakashi seemed impressed with how Sasuke held himself, his technique flawless. For one so young he was indeed skilled, and Kakashi found himself wishing he was just a little bit younger. As his leg connected with his side, Sasuke let out a yelp and managed to land a punch against Kakashi's cheek. Both men leapt back and looked at each other, satisfaction clear on their faces.

"It's good to see you haven't forgotten anything," Kakashi remarked as he panted heavily.

Sasuke wiped the sweat from his face and smiled with satisfaction. "Especially not your blind spot, Kakashi,"

"You always were a quick learner, even without the sharingan," Kakashi said, and both decided to have a rest. Sasuke's stamina wasn't what it was seeing as he'd been out of duty for a couple of months.

They lay down on the grass, gazing up at the clouds as they streamed across the sky. As the sun poked out through the gaps in the clouds, both could feel the full ebb of the smouldering star. Kakashi then went to a bag he brought with him and produced a bottle of water each. He tossed one to Sasuke, who caught it and began drinking eagerly.

Kakashi then did something that caught the Uchiha well off-guard. The copy nin took down his mask and held the drink to his lips. Sasuke simply stared with a deep scowl across his face as Kakashi drank from the bottle, the copy nin as nonchalant as always. He briefly looked back at Sasuke, and gave a slight laugh as he viewed the furrowed concentration of his expression.

"Your face is priceless, Sasuke," Kakashi said, and chuckled.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Sasuke said plainly.

Kakashi gave him a side-ways look. "What do you mean?"

"I was thinking you were deformed or something, like you had weird teeth or lips, but you're completely normal," Sasuke stated, his mind adjusting to the new contours of Kakashi's face. He always pictured him with his mask, so to see his face was somewhat of a shock to the system.

"If anything I'm just _too _handsome,"

"If you say so," Sasuke scoffed and finished gazing at Kakashi's face. He looked up at the clouds, the sun bearing down on his face, making him squint. "Have you shown Naruto and Sakura?"

"Of course not,"

"Why just me then?"

"Because you've already given up on finding ways to see my face," Kakashi said, turning his face to the sun now, letting the rays kiss his face. "The other two are always scheming and even Sai gets in on their little plans as well,"

"So you've shown me because I gave up and lost interest,"

"Yep,"

"I'll have to tell them your secret," Sasuke said, surprising Kakashi with the mischievous tone of his voice. The exercise had brought out the best in him.

"You wouldn't really spoil my fun, would you?" Kakashi asked, feigning upset.

_No, probably not. _In truth Sasuke wasn't actually that bothered, instead he felt glad that Kakashi had trusted him enough to show his face, to let him in to something Kakashi rarely showed others.

"No," Sasuke said. "I'll let you have your fun,"

* * *

It was late when Sakura arrived at the flat. Naruto was gone, having been sent on an over-night mission. She'd just seen Tsunade to pick up Sasuke's prescription, and had quizzed her shishou on Sasuke's progress.

"I'm sorry Sakura, it's confidential, you should know that," Tsunade had told her tritely, and these words made her smile, as it meant Sasuke had finally relented and had finally spoken properly to her master. It seems the betting shop would have to wait until news properly gets out before the punters could have their way. It was funny how Sasuke, be he friend or foe, was always at the centre of Village speculation.

These thoughts of Sasuke recovering gave Sakura a sense of happiness she hadn't felt for weeks, like they were moving on and much to her bemusement, Sasuke was complying wholeheartedly, even though it was a slow process. They had finally made progress, and this cause Sakura to step with an extra spring in her step.

As she stepped through the door, Sakura brightly entered the room and smiled at Sasuke, who was sitting with Kakashi at the dining room table.

"Evening Sakura," Kakashi said and nodded at the girl.

"Hey Kaka-sensei," She replied good-naturedly and smiled with a wide grin. Sasuke merely smirked at the sight of her.

Kakashi and Sakura talked for some time, and Sasuke decided he would go for a shower, since he'd been training for most of the day. The exercise had the desired effect on Sasuke, as he seemed far less anxious and highly strung. He appeared more relaxed and languidly stood up to go for his shower.

"Now that you're here, I'll take my leave," Kakashi announced and stood up. Sakura had begun preparing vegetables for dinner. She craned her neck back and watched Kakashi go.

"Aren't you going to stay for supper, Kaka-sensei?"

"No, no I best not _interrupt_ you two," He said with a smirk creasing his eye and Sakura blushed.

"You're only leaving because if you stayed we have to have an eyeful of your ugly mug," Sakura pouted and Kakashi grinned from behind his mask.

"Never give up do you?" He said and left.

Sakura let out a sigh as he left, chopping the vegetables and preparing the meat. How long had it been since she first began her ploy to see underneath Kakashi's mask? It was nearing four years now and she still wasn't any closer to seeing the face behind that mask.

But as she began preparing the meat, Sakura couldn't help but let her attention be drawn to gushing sound of the shower just a wall away. She imagined Sasuke in the shower, the water spraying along his rigid torso, the liquid rushing through his hair. Her face tinged red as she began thinking about running her hand all over him as she had the night before, of all the things he could do to her with that wondrous body of his. They were alone in the flat, no one else ready to interrupt them if anything happened.

_If, _Sakura thought, _If anything happens, which it probably will. _

Sakura had been fighting temptation for a while now; their kisses never seemed quite enough. She was nervous, but somewhat glad Sasuke would be her first. She hadn't waited for him deliberately; she just hadn't found anyone else she'd rather be with. Even when he was at his lowest, even when he was viewing them with unadulterated rage, she still wanted him, still couldn't keep her raciest thoughts from turning to Sasuke despite her actively trying not to. To her, he perpetuated desire, made her weak at the knees.

As she heard the shower faucet stop, Sakura readily brought her attention to the meal she was preparing rather than watch Sasuke step out of the shower room and walk around in just a towel. She wouldn't be able to control herself if she let her eyes slip for one second. As she began to fry the meat, Sasuke stepped out the room, a flush of steam accompanying him, fogging up the windows. She heard him step deftly to his bedroom, even felt the thrill of his eyes on her as she resolutely kept her eyes on the pork crackling in the pan. Those eyes were full of danger, of a desire she knew he felt and was ready to take it to the next step.

He was still patting down his hair, running the towel through it as it resolutely stood up on end despite his best effort to keep it tidy. Sakura now turned to him, and saw little droplets of water run down his fringe and onto his cheeks. He gave a small seething look towards the ANBU, and then turned back to Sakura and kissed her on the lips.

Sakura jumped with shock, but then sighed into the kiss as Sasuke's hands began roaming everywhere, along her waist and round to her backside, of which he buried his hands into the soft flesh. Sakura yelped slightly, and grinned into the kiss and Sasuke pulled her up, bringing her legs around his waist as he backed them up against the kitchen countertop. He yanked her up, hands going to her thighs and sat her atop the countertop, the new position giving him access to her neck as his mouth began sucking on the sensitive tendon.

Sakura groaned from the sensation and this seemed to egg Sasuke on, his hands smoothing down her soft thighs. Sakura could feel the knot in her stomach become enflamed, the desire now coursing through her veins as she tried to slow down the pace. Sasuke was always a deeply passionate person, he showed this to her as she sighed and moaned from his kisses. Forgetting that the ANBU were outside Sakura moaned loudly as Sasuke brought a hand up to cup her breast, his ministrations making her feel giddy with want.

"Wait, Sasuke-" Sakura suddenly stopped them, and for a moment she saw the fire in his eyes, the pent up desire that had been making him go stir crazy. She had never seen him look at her like that, and the thought of his face so impassioned made her grin self-consciously. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist and turned to the side. She grabbed the spatula next to them, and turned both the pieces of pork in the pan.

"You are hungry, right?" Sakura asked. He certainly was hungry for her, but Sakura wouldn't let his desire ruin her dinner.

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a sigh as he let his hands roam along the legs at his waist. He was about to turn away, but Sakura brought a hand to cup his cheek. She let her thumb caress his smooth skin as she pulled him close for a wonderful, searing kiss. She felt Sasuke body become flush with hers, the crackling for the pork beside her made a strange contrast to the way Sasuke made her body melt. Sasuke then broke the kiss with smile. Not a smirk, but a true smile, and Sakura couldn't help but stare as she watched him slip away from her legs and move towards the fridge.

"White wine?" He asked, and Sakura nodded. Sasuke took the glasses from the cupboard and poured them both hefty amounts.

Sakura turned back to the food with a satisfied grin. She couldn't help but smile as she watched the food cook, as the vegetables too popped and crackled.

"Go and see if they want anything," Sakura motioned to Sasuke to go see the ANBU. Sasuke's face immediately darkened and he set his face in an angry scowl as he walked over to the glass doors. He poked his head through and unceremoniously asked them if they wanted anything.

"Having a great time in there aren't you?" One of them said, with as much mocking fervour as possible.

"Mind your own business, perverts," Sasuke spat back.

"Want some tips? Teenage sex is always shite, you'll need all the help you can get," The other remarked and the two exchanged mocking looks at one another. "Try not to disappoint the girl, Uchiha,"

"You're both disgusting," Sasuke sneered and slammed the door. He walked back in and saw that dinner was ready. He was hungry from his training session so eagerly tucked in. Sakura sat across him, and Sasuke experimentally ran his foot against Sakura's leg, making her giggle. Sasuke couldn't have hoped for a more perfect opportunity, with Naruto being far away and the flat to himself. As they ate their dinner, both exchanged knowing looks across the table as Sakura asked how Sasuke's day had been. He told her about his training with Kakashi, and purposely didn't tell her about his face.

"You must be shattered," Sakura said, but Sasuke shook his head. The blood was pumping too hot in his veins for him to be tired.

"No, but I feel more relaxed," He replied and sipped his wine. "Are you staying tonight?"

Sakura flushed at his words, but truly she was rife with anticipation. Sasuke was in a good mood, and she decided that tonight was the night.

"Of course I am," She said, and Sasuke gave the most triumphant smirk she'd ever seen.

* * *

I know it's a cliffhanger, but the lemon will follow. :3

Thanks for reading, and please tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

An earlier update this time, thank you to all who reviewed and here is the Chapter of Smex :)

* * *

**Cracks**

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Sasuke sipped his wine, and sat quietly. His body felt tired from the training session he'd had with Kakashi, but his mind was abuzz with excitement. He had already finished the meal Sakura had prepared, and was waiting for her to lay down her cutlery. In truth he was feeling the drive of exhilaration wrack through his limbs, a similar feeling to when he was in the midst of fight.

"Have you anything planned for tomorrow?" Sakura asked, though she knew the answer. Sasuke rarely anything to do with his time, beyond just watching television and snapping at the ANBU guards.

"I'll be catching up on my soap, as I missed it today," Sasuke replied and went to wash up his plate and cutlery. He felt Sakura's eyes bore into his back as he stood at the basin.

"You're addicted to that medic drama," Sakura grinned, finding the idea of Sasuke hooked on such drivel beyond amusing.

"It's won awards you know, don't knock it till you tried it," Sasuke said, defending his favourite programme.

"But you were doing something else you love more," Sakura said, for she knew Sasuke missed the prescience of his chakra as much as she'd miss her own. It was an integral part of their lives, and Sakura couldn't imagine how it felt to have one's chakra sealed. It would be like having her hands cut off.

"Still managed to land a punch, he's getting slower,"

"He's getting older, and we're coming into our prime," Sakura said, and she thought of all Sasuke had achieved; the power that lay behind his eyes was surely one of the most powerful doujutsu of all time. She wondered what it must be like, to have your most important techniques bound and shut away, as if locked inside a room when one has no key to enter. "What's it like, not having chakra?"

Sasuke turned and looked at her, his eyes seemed to darken, like two black pebbles against the smoothness of his skin.

"It's like having my dick chopped off," His flippancy was off-putting, but Sakura didn't blush, she only saw the cracks in his pride.

"Do you regret it?" Sakura asked quietly, fearing his response.

Sasuke seemed to consider her words and focused his attention on the wall, as if the answer was written there.

"I'm getting a second chance; in that sense I don't regret it, but I knew already that my chakra would be sealed the moment I made the decision to come back, so I was expecting it," He said, almost tired with thought. "Power was everything to me, but once it was taken from me I began to value different things. I know I've always been a difficult person, but that was never rare for our kind. I know I won't ever have what was before, that you'll never trust me like you did,"

Sakura watched him quizzically, her heart warmed by his attempt at intimacy, and the way he tried to make sense of things. It was as if he was confused by himself, like he wasn't quite one with his inner faculties.

"At first I loathed it, hated the way my limbs felt so weak, the way I couldn't use my sharingan," He said, and Sakura cast her mind back to those first couple of weeks. Sasuke had screamed bloody murder at them, cursed them to high heaven, and built a wall around him so thick he could barely see past it. Tsunade was close to ending him herself, but he began to calm down, he accepted the monotony of life and soon they fell into a rhythm, whereby Sasuke's demeanour was icy, but tolerable. Those weeks were some of the most turbulent in Sakura's memory, but his eventual compliance had been the greatest relief she had ever felt.

"I thought they would lock me up, leave me to rot in a cell and I fought them, fought you, for a couple of weeks I was convinced you were allied against me, believed that you would leave me to die in that cell, but you didn't," Sasuke continued, though his train of thought appeared problematic. He was finding it hard to express himself, but the words left Sakura dumbfounded. He was pouring his soul into her hands, and she felt for him, she truly did. "I tried to kill you, was contemplating killing Karin and my murderous intent was there plain for all to see, but you still looked past my madness and forgave me. But you'll never trust me; even if you say you do your heart will scream otherwise,"

She wanted to tell him it would be fine, that things would get better, and that they'd make fresh new bonds, tighter than before, that Konoha would forget his bloody rampage. But she couldn't humour him, couldn't lie to him, she knew he wouldn't accept cherry-picked words. He wasn't stupid, and Sasuke knew the consequences of his actions were dire.

"Sasuke..." Sakura called his name in barely a whisper; she knew not what to say. Instead she got to her feet and walked over to him tentatively, a sad smile gracing her lips. She had spent so many years chasing this young man across the five countries, had been willing to kill him, and he knew that, even respected her gumption.

Sasuke angled his head towards her, but Sakura saw how his eyes seemed to look through her. She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest. She inhaled his scent, and lolled in it, felt him freeze as his skin seemed to prickle with feeling as she continued to smile with that sad tilt against her lips. Sasuke reacted slowly, moving a hand upwards to cup her face.

"You should know nothing made us happier than to have you back," She said quietly and Sasuke watched her mouth intently. "Me, Kakashi, especially Naruto, you didn't see the state he was in after we lost you, after Orochimaru spirited you away. We're glad you're back, and not six-feet underground, that you came back to us,"

"Am I still that twelve-year-old boy you adored?" He asked softly, in a voice that was almost wistful, searching for the days of old.

"No, but then I'm not the twelve-year-old girl you found annoying," Sakura smiled, and her face was so open, so kind and warm that Sasuke couldn't resist. He tilted his head down and kissed her with all the pent-up passion he could muster. Sakura sighed into the kiss and allowed him to deepen it, as she felt his heart race under his shirt. Despite his usually cold disposition, Sakura was aware of his the passions that lay deep inside him, that he resisted. When he kissed her, she felt as if she were inside him, soothing his anxieties. As the kiss dwindled to an end Sakura stepped back and took hold of Sasuke's hand.

"You should already know you're under our skin, that we'll let you back in as long as you let us in, that you don't have to hide your feelings,"

Sasuke chuckled darkly, as if contemptuous of himself rather than anyone else.

"As you can tell I'm not very good at handling my feelings," He said, and his brow furrowed.

"No one is at our age, especially someone who's been through what you have," Sakura replied, confidently, as if Sasuke's words had ignited the strength of her faith. "You just need to come back to us, _all_ of you,"

"I can't remember what I was like, how I was before I spent too many days in the company of psychopaths like Orochimaru and Madara," He said. "What was I like?"

"You were a bastard," Sakura laughed, and Sasuke did too.

"I treated you badly," He whispered, as if admonishing himself.

"You still treat us badly, but we wouldn't have it any other way," Sakura grinned and pecked Sasuke on the cheek. She had to stand on her tip-toes to do it, but Sasuke relished the gesture. "You give Sai a rather hard time though,"

Sasuke frowned. "He's an idiot,"

"He's a kind idiot though," Sakura replied. "You should cut him some slack, get to know him; we hated him at first too,"

Sasuke appeared to mull over her words, his face contorted in somewhere near repulsion and understanding. He then hugged her to him and suddenly scooped Sakura up into his arms.

"Sasuke-!" He threw her over his shoulder and Sakura squealed.

"I'm bringing the wine," He stated clearly, and Sakura struggled in his arms but to no avail. She daren't use her chakra, considering she could really do some damage, but she found herself laughing as Sasuke took them to his bedroom. He unceremoniously dumped her on the bed, and Sakura pushed away the hair that fell into her face and watched him as he pottered around the room, drawing the curtains to block out the piercing shine of that evening's sunset. Sakura ran a hand through her hair, whilst the thrill of what would come next caused her to bite her bottom lip in anticipation.

Sasuke meanwhile switched the light on, but dimmed it so it cast the room in a subdued, ember glow. The Uchiha drank from the bottle and then passed it to Sakura, who drank greedily. She gazed around the room, which was tidy to the finest detail, noting Sasuke's lack of personal affects. He owned so little, and Sakura decided she would buy him a present sometime that week.

She tried to busy her mind with other things as the nerves got to her, and she drank from the bottle, hoping Dutch courage would suppress her anxiety. She'd seen plenty of naked men in the hospital, but to actually advance whatever the relationship between her and Sasuke was, it was a big step, but she felt ready to be with him.

Sasuke finished sorting out the room and leapt onto the bed, the springs creaking from his weight. He brought a hand up to Sakura's cheek and caressed it gently; all the while Sakura gazed back at him with heavy-lidded eyes. She wondered what he saw in her, why he wanted her and the words seemed to spill from her mouth.

"Why me?" She didn't mean to sound so self-depreciative, but she was curious and Sasuke seemed surprised by her question.

"Because I'm attracted to you," Sasuke stated, and Sakura felt herself flush. "Because you could kill me with one punch, and still love me,"

Sakura smirked. "Who said anything about love?"

"You wouldn't be prepared to put me out of my misery if you didn't love me," Sasuke said, as if he knew the power love could imbue in people. "Love can be dangerous; it can drive you to do things one wouldn't otherwise consider,"

"Like interrupt the meeting of five Kage and take each of them on?" Sakura said and Sasuke nodded.

"Precisely," Sasuke said and Sakura handed him the bottle.

"That's why we knew you weren't beyond our reach, no matter how bad things seemed. What you did, you did out of love,"

"It's still no excuse, but it was a definite factor," Sasuke agreed and took a long swig. He was beginning to feel the tell-tale lethargy in limbs along with the slight tang of arousal that crept through his veins from the alcohol.

"You should learn to channel your passions, in a healthy way," Sakura said flirtatiously, and brought a hand to cup his face. She was shaking slightly, but was pleased to find the adrenalin rush was helping her inhibitions. Sasuke covered her hand with his and squeezed gently, the concupiscence behind those dark eyes ever present. He had been lying back on his elbows, whilst Sakura was sat cross-legged. Sitting up he tilted his head towards her and kissed her ardently.

Sakura managed to the place the wine bottle on the bed-side table and moved so she was sitting on her knees, her small hands gripping his shoulders, pulling him tighter to her chest. The wine had made her giddy, but in a good way. She pushed her breasts into his body, arching her back as Sasuke dipped his head down to kiss along her neck, making Sakura's mind suddenly go numb. Her neck was so sensitive and Sasuke was quick to catch on as he sucked roughly on her on her skin, making a mark Sakura would rather not have to be rid of later, but she didn't care at that moment in time for he was making her capricious with pleasure.

He lowered her onto her back, resting on one arm as the other extended a hand to undo the zipper of her top. Sakura allowed his hand to glide down and sat up briefly so he could remove her red shirt. It crumpled to the floor with a small sound and Sasuke began to lavish attention where the newly revealed paths of skin would allow him. Despite his eagerness, he was just as nervous, having never known a woman in such a way, but was reeling the advice from Jiraiya's racy novels over in his head, wanting to pleasure her as much as he wanted to slack his own lusts.

He removed his lips from her neck and began to kiss along the valley of her breasts and around the cups of fabric that hid them from view. Sakura languidly let her arms flare out above her head, her small sighs and muted moans encouraging Sasuke's ministrations. Sasuke marvelled at the smoothness of her skin, the way she squirmed under his touches. He couldn't help but smirk with arrogance as he felt her melt to putty in his hands as he continued to kiss along her stomach. Sakura began to pant, her eyes screwed closed as he ran his hands along her thighs and lips touched the fabric of her shorts.

Sasuke gathered himself, sat up on his knees, and slowly began to tug at Sakura's shorts and skirt. As the garments became free, he dumped them on the floor along with her shirt, and was ready to continue to scatter attention to her body, but was stopped as Sakura sat up. He watched her quizzically, but as her hands beckoned for his shirt to be removed, Sasuke willingly obliged. Sakura ran her hands along his torso, feeling the hard ripples of muscle under her finger tips, his skin wondrously smooth to the touch. She tugged at the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss, and Sasuke crushed his lips to hers, nipping at her bottom lips as Sakura moaned into his mouth. He could still feel her quiver nervously, but he soothed her with his hands. He touched her everywhere, smoothing over every pane of skin, until she felt his hands at her bra. He broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes as he undid the hook and flung it to the floor.

He had already seen her breasts, but Sakura still flushed with modesty, and Sasuke thought her slight blush adorable. He experimentally touched one and relished in its softness. He rolled his thumb over a rosy nipple and Sakura could barely suppress the shudder that ran up along her spine. Sasuke was already aroused, the blood pumped hard in his ears and the tiny hairs on the back of his neck were alert as the arousal made him light-headed. As he continued to massage her breast Sakura took charge and began trailing kisses along his chest. She came to a hard nipple and ran her tongue along it. Sasuke left her nipple and instead ran his hand through her beautiful hair, the sight of her delighting in the feel of his body making his eyes grow hazy with desire.

Sakura brought herself higher and encouraged Sasuke to lay back, turning the tide as she took control. It was an unexpected turn of events as he had suspected Sakura would be shy at first, reserved from taking the lead, but she appeared pretty confident in her movements. As Sasuke lay on his back as Sakura straddled him, this time taking her turn at running her lips along his neck. His hands went to her sides and started running along the expanse of her skin, making her mewl like a cat as he traced his fingers along her back. He was soon flushed from the heat of his desire and looked up as Sakura suddenly stopped her attentions. He gazed up and saw her position herself at the button of his trousers. She undid them quickly and tugged them down his legs, only the thin layers of cotton dividing them. When she had finished pulling them from his body, she returned to his mouth.

The kiss was deep and so red hot full of desire, neither of them could contain themselves. Sakura's movements then became erratic, as if she was as sex-starved as he was, and it made Sasuke grin wolfishly. Sakura noted his expression and bit her lip self-consciously.

"What?"

"You're more eager than I thought you'd be," He rasped, and drew Sakura to him, holding her tight as if she were a leaf ready to dance in the Konoha breeze. Sakura simply hugged him back, a smile of satisfaction as she savoured in the feel of his body against the seam of hers. Sasuke cupped her in his arms and kissed her hard, his tongue dancing against hers in a battle for supremacy, his hands gripping hers above her head. He was naturally the more dominant of the two, but was gentle.

Letting go of her hands, Sasuke then situated himself at her feet where he grabbed one leg and hooked it over his shoulder, and began to trace his lips down along the pane of her leg. He kissed over her knee and Sakura quivered as he nipped the soft flesh of her thigh. Sasuke observed the cotton of her panties, and looked to Sakura, as if for permission. She nodded resolutely, and Sasuke hooked his fingers in the garment and began to peel it from her skin.

Sakura flushed red as Sasuke viewed her sex, that was the one thing she most concerned about but Sasuke laid a reassuring hand on her stomach as he began to kiss her bellybutton, his lips slowly descending and Sakura's heart beat loud as a drum in her ears. She had always wondered what it would feel like to have a man touch in her most intimate area, and was pleasantly surprised at how good it felt when Sasuke sat up and inserted a finger into her moist folds. As he curled a finger Sakura bucked her hips, attempting to extend the feeling for as long as she could. Sasuke began a merciless rhythm, and Sakura started to pant out the beginnings of pleasure-filled groans.

Sasuke couldn't keep his eyes from her, she was so beautiful, quivering from desire and panting the syllables of his name as he brought her to a high. She was so responsive and not in the slightest bit timid. He'd thought of her (though he'd never admit) when he was younger, when his wet dreams had plagued his youth he turned to her budding form and imagined her as she was now, open for him to take. He watched as his fingers became sodden with her arousal, his mind fascinated on how soft she felt, how silken and warm her insides were. The smell of her sex was tantalising, arousing him further, if that was possible. He had the urge to taste her, and so removed his finger from her and put it to his mouth. She tasted salty, yet saccharine and his dick twitched in his boxers as he tasted her sweetness.

Sakura was transfixed, even slightly mortified, but he appeared to like what he tasted and Sakura gasped as Sasuke turned his mouth in between her legs. He wrestled her legs apart and settled between them, running his tongue along the apex of his thighs. Sakura bucked her hips in response and drew her hands into his hair, her fingers gripping his hair almost painfully. He drew his tongue along her clit and Sakura moaned, throwing her head back against the pillow. Her back arched as Sasuke began to suck hard against her flesh, and quickly he brought his fingers to rush deep into her, and Sakura began panting his name as Sasuke used his tongue and fingers in tandem.

"Sasuke-!" Sakura groaned and the Uchiha steadied her hips as she began to arch against his relentless assault. She felt hot, and a seam of sweat began to form along her body as Sasuke brought her to heights she never imagined, the knot of pleasure in her stomach drawing her quickly to elation. She buried her hands in his hair and gripped onto to him for dear life as her body wracked with the force of her orgasm, her body convulsing as Sasuke continued to steady her, his ministrations letting her savour the feeling for as long as possible.

As Sakura came down from her high she grinned and laughed slightly. She then propped herself up on her elbows and looked at Sasuke, who looked so smug she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face with her own attentions.

"That was fun," She breathed, and Sasuke licked his lips, and then pecked her on the mouth, ready to move away until Sakura grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him towards her. Sasuke growled as pain flashed at his scalp, but he loved her roughness, and the gesture turned him on even more. Sakura then wrestled with him, until he relented and lay down.

Sakura sat by his side and teased him with small flourishes of touches along his hot skin, her hand dangerously close to his lower abdomen. He snarled and bucked his hips at her, which made Sakura grin devilishly. Taking the plunge, Sakura deftly dipped her hand into his boxers and grabbed onto his erection. Sasuke hissed with pleasure as she roughly handled him, drawing her hand along his shaft with a tight grip. He repressed a moan, but when Sakura began to strip away his undergarment, he couldn't stop the shudder of anticipation wrack through him.

Sakura dipped her head and traced her tongue along his head experimentally. A strong shudder rang through Sasuke's body and he relented, and moaned loudly. He could forgive Sakura's slightly clumsy touches, for when she did something he enjoyed, Sasuke rasped out his moans. He bit his lip as Sakura stretched her mouth over his head and experimentally bobbed her head up and down. Sasuke moaned her name as his brow scrunched with the sheer feeling of pleasure. This aspect of sex had always fascinated him, and as he watched Sakura take his cock into her mouth he was overcome with how erotic the scene was. It added to the stimulation and he could barely keep his eyes from her.

"Wait, wait-wa-" Sasuke said hurriedly, as at this stage he'd be coming before he even got to have sex. Sakura looked up and Sasuke erection fell from her lips with a small 'pop'. He was panting heavily, and Sakura gazed up at him, seemingly worried.

"What is it?" She asked, and her brow furrowed with worry.

Sasuke didn't reply, he simply grabbed her by the shoulders and roughly yanked her towards him for a kiss that made Sakura shudder with the force of it. But before Sasuke could stop her she grabbed his cock and pumped it hard. Sasuke moaned against her lips and came as his body trembled with the force of his orgasm. Sakura jumped slightly, taken by surprise while he spilled his load onto the bed sheets. Sasuke ground his teeth together and quivered. When he opened his eyes again he saw Sakura's face grinning like an idiot.

"Shit," He cursed and fell onto his back, throwing his arm across his eyes. As he breathed heavily, Sakura inched her way closer and lay, seemingly contented, next to him. She propped her head up in her hand and drew the other across Sasuke's sensitised skin.

"That was unexpected," She announced, but Sasuke ignored her, too embarrassed to say anything until he flashed an accusatory glance her way. "We need to work on your stamina,"

"Stop gloating," Sasuke pouted, his pride taking a lethal dent. He looked thoroughly wounded.

"You know, I can probably get your body ready again," She baited and Sasuke flashed her a curious look.

"What do you mean?" His eyebrow arched at her confidence.

"All I have to do-" She ran a finger along his vulnerable abdomen and swirled it near the base of his dick. "-is redirect the flow of your blood for a couple of seconds, it should work in theory,"

"_In theory?" _Sasuke's interest was piqued. Sakura then let her green medical chakra seep from her fingertips and placed her hand on Sasuke's abdomen. For a brief moment Sasuke's head spun as the flow of his blood was redirected to his nether regions. He thought he was going to faint as suddenly his dick was fully aroused and standing to attention. As Sakura brought her hand off his stomach, Sasuke's blood flow began to return to normal, but he was still very aroused. The affects of the last orgasm dissipated, and Sasuke was once again highly stimulated.

He whipped his eyes back to Sakura, and the kunoichi grinned.

"The wonders of medical chakra," She said and brought her lips to Sasuke's. He kissed her long and hard, until she moved on top of him and drew the seam of her legs up along Sasuke's erection. The Uchiha hummed his delight as Sakura bent her head low and pecked his lips. His hands went to steady her hips as she slowly began to grind her hips against his erection, both breaking into a sweat.

They breathed heavily for while as Sakura teased him, and Sasuke brought his hands up to her breasts as she tempted his patience. Sensing they were ready, Sakura lowered herself onto his cock and Sasuke moaned again he slipped into her wet folds. Sakura closed her eyes and tilted her head back from the feeling, lolling in the delight of feeling him inside her, she was so warm and inviting, Sasuke was in awe of the feel of being so close to her.

"Isn't there supposed to be blood?" He questioned, quite glad there didn't seem to be any difficulty.

"Nothing left to tear," Sakura said, and most was true for kunoichi, most having already torn their hymen when training in flexibility.

"You're so tight though," Sasuke breathed and he panted as Sakura began an achingly slow rhythm. Sasuke attempted to think of other things, like Sai talking about dicks, as Sakura began to moan and writhe on top of him, drawing her hips in a tight roll against his hips as she gripped him. Their rhythm was clumsy at first, but they knew their bodies well and soon began to moan and struggle against coming too early.

Sakura began panting hard, and collapsed forward slightly, her hands gripping Sasuke's pecks as he hit the right spot. He began to thrust his hips upwards in time to hers; perspiration lined their forms as both soon drew near to their climax.

"Sasu-" Sakura grimaced, stifling her moan as best she could as her second orgasm hit her. Sasuke let out a string of guttural moans as she gripped onto him tight, almost painfully, as her inner muscles contracted. They stayed stationary for a moment, both riding out their orgasms, until Sakura collapsed onto his chest and snuggled up under his arm. Sasuke's eyes were still closed as he swallowed and then peered down at Sakura. She looked up at him and smiled contentedly.

"Is there any of that wine left?" Sakura asked and Sasuke nodded. He was so relaxed and satiated that he just wanted to lie back with Sakura in his arms as he drifted off to sleep.

"There's more in the kitchen," He mumbled and Sakura got up and grabbed his shirt. She threw it on and raced towards the fridge. As she stepped out the two ANBU cast their gaze towards her, and one of them made a very obscene with his hand as she walked past. Sakura flushed and gave them the finger, took the bottle out of the fridge and made her way back into the room.

Sasuke looked up as she entered the room and smirked at the sight of her in his shirt. She was so sexy like that. He watched her unscrew the top and then shut his eyes, only to yelp in shock as he felt something cold and liquid pour onto his skin. He eyes flashed open and he stared at Sakura, who tipped the wine onto his body.

"What the hell are you doing?" He growled, but Sakura fixed him with a lustful stare and he went quiet.

"Naruto's only gone one night, so we best make the most of it," Sakura grinned, and Sasuke relented with a devilish smile on his face.

* * *

_A hawk soared through the sky as the light dimmed across the field. The sky was an unnatural, purplish hue; the fiery globe of the sun was surrounded by the orange profusion of the sunset. _

_Sasuke was sitting along in the field again, under the same oak tree awaiting Itachi's prescience. He always appeared around dusk, when the sun was dipping beyond the violet horizon. He sat making his usual daisy chain, and looked up to find Itachi's form stood stark against the sky, on the opposite hill. He walked with his usual warrior's grace, his thin body wrapped in a navy yukata. He smiled as he neared Sasuke. _

"_You're in a good mood," He noted and Sasuke couldn't help but smile back. Itachi gathered himself and sat down next to him, and began fingering the flowers in same fashion as Sasuke. _

"_I've met someone," Sasuke stated, and Itachi looked pleasantly surprised. Stars began to form in the sky above. "Her name's Sakura,"_

"_Is she as lovely as her name?"_

"_She has ridiculous pink hair," Sasuke scoffed. "The name suits her well,"_

_Itachi smiled and allowed the breeze to tickle along his skin. _

"_She's fiery, passionate," Sasuke continued, and he looped his daisy chain with deft hands. "I've known her for years, but only now am I taking the time to __**truly **__know her,"_

"_Was she the one who killed Sasori?"_

"_Yes, that was her," Sasuke remembered the first time he'd heard that news. It had shocked him, as he could never have imagined Sakura to grow so powerful. _

"_Is she your first lover?"_

"_Yes," Sasuke said, and he was still infused with the satiated calmness that came after sex. But he wondered to himself what his brother's life was like, as he'd often tried to ask him questions, only to have them answered with further questions. "Did you ever meet someone?"_

"_Someone?" Itachi asked, amused but seemingly perplexed. _

"_You know... someone like Sakura?" He probed, but Itachi only lifted his face to the wind. _

"_I couldn't make any attachments after that night, Sasuke. I had women, but never a lover," He said with frankness, but with a look of longing that meant he'd wished he'd had the chance to grow to like someone. "My journey was destined to be a lonely one,"_

"_I wish you had the chance to feel as I do,"_

"_It was not my destiny, but maybe it's yours. You did things I couldn't dream of, soared to heights I could never reach. You have my eyes, but you see through them differently," Itachi began, and the night rolled in, the stars glowed brighter."For that I am grateful,"_

"_Tell me about the women you met, tell me about your life," Sasuke said, and closed his eyes; his brother's voice one of the only things that soothed him._

"_My life was a deceit, cloaked in shadow and clandestine deception," Itachi stated, not wishing to continue this conversation. "It was devoid of passion, of true relevance, what I did shaped you, and I am sorry it had to be done in such a harmful way,"_

"_I forgive you, but I am still so angry that you were ever forced into that choice,"_

"_Do not stay angry at the ones in Konoha, none of the truly guilty are left alive, you made sure of that,"_

_Sasuke mulled over his brother's words, nothing the soft look of tranquillity across his face as the sun burst beyond the horizon. _

"_Itachi..." Sasuke looked up and gazed at his brother's wayward eyes. "Did you kill Shisui?"_

_Itachi suddenly so tired, so old. "Yes," _

_Sasuke stared at Itachi and he in turn stared back at Sasuke. He'd paled, like the life just appeared to leave his pallor, like a corpse. _

"_Killing Shisui and our family was more painful than any wound, more painful than my heart slowly destroying itself," Itachi said and he hoped Sasuke wouldn't ask him any more questions he'd rather not answer. "I caused nothing but pain,"_

"_I wish you hadn't given up, I wish you were still with me, guiding me," Sasuke said. "Even when I hated you, you still made the path I needed to take clear to me,"_

"_I failed in death, when Madara took you under his wing," Itachi said thoughtfully, but his face seemed to brighten. "You're still so fixated on the past; you need to look to the future," _

"_The past can never be undone, it plagues me," Sasuke said and gazed up at the stars. "It haunts me still,"_

"_Which is why I will need to leave you soon, so we may both move on," Itachi reasoned, and he too gazed up at the sheet of hundreds of stars spilling across the night sky. "Your demons need to leave you,"_

"_All I have is demons, if I let go then I'll have nothing," _

"_That's not true, you have Sakura, and Naruto, people who still have faith in you," Itachi said, and smiled softly. "iF I'm your demon, then they're your angels,"

* * *

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